Summary
Canonical LXD Project Existence Determination Through Error Handling in Image Export Function
Impact
In LXD's images export API (/1.0/images/{fingerprint}/export), implementation differences in error handling allow determining project existence without authentication.
Specifically, in the following code, errors when multiple images match are directly returned to users as API responses:
While fingerprints generally don't duplicate, this functionality uses fingerprints with LIKE clauses, allowing prefix specification. Therefore, using LIKE wildcards such as % will match multiple images if multiple images exist in the project.
In the above implementation, multiple matches result in a 500 error, but if the project itself doesn't exist, there are 0 matches and a 404 is returned.
- When project exists and multiple images match: HTTP 500 error "More than one image matches"
- When project doesn't exist: HTTP 404 error "not found"
This behavioural difference allows attackers to confirm project existence without authentication.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
| LXD Series | Status |
|---|---|
| 6 | Fixed in LXD 6.5 |
| 5.21 | Fixed in LXD 5.21.4 |
| 5.0 | Ignored - Not critical |
| 4.0 | Ignored - EOL and not critical |
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2025-54290? CVE-2025-54290 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in github.com/canonical/lxd (go), affecting versions >= 4.0, < 5.21.4. It is fixed in 5.21.4, 6.5, 0.0.0-20250827065555-0494f5d47e41.
- Which versions of github.com/canonical/lxd are affected by CVE-2025-54290? github.com/canonical/lxd (go) versions >= 4.0, < 5.21.4 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2025-54290? Yes. CVE-2025-54290 is fixed in 5.21.4, 6.5, 0.0.0-20250827065555-0494f5d47e41. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2025-54290 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-54290 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2025-54290 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2025-54290?
- Upgrade
github.com/canonical/lxdto 5.21.4 or later - Upgrade
github.com/canonical/lxdto 6.5 or later - Upgrade
github.com/canonical/lxdto 0.0.0-20250827065555-0494f5d47e41 or later
- Upgrade