What is CVE-2026-53657?

CVE-2026-53657 is a high-severity security vulnerability in github.com/lima-vm/lima/v2 (go), affecting versions <= 2.1.2. It is fixed in 2.1.3.

How severe is CVE-2026-53657?

CVE-2026-53657 has a CVSS score of 8.2 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Which versions of github.com/lima-vm/lima/v2 are affected by CVE-2026-53657?

github.com/lima-vm/lima/v2 (go) versions <= 2.1.2 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-53657?

Yes. CVE-2026-53657 is fixed in 2.1.3. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2026-53657 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2026-53657 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.

What actually determines whether CVE-2026-53657 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-2026-53657?

Upgrade github.com/lima-vm/lima/v2 to 2.1.3 or later.

CVE-2026-53657 in github.com/lima-vm/lima/v2

Q: How severe is CVE-2026-53657?

CVE-2026-53657 has a CVSS score of 8.2 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Q: Which versions of github.com/lima-vm/lima/v2 are affected by CVE-2026-53657?

github.com/lima-vm/lima/v2 (go) versions <= 2.1.2 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2026-53657?

Yes. CVE-2026-53657 is fixed in 2.1.3. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2026-53657 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2026-53657 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.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2026-53657 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.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2026-53657?

Upgrade github.com/lima-vm/lima/v2 to 2.1.3 or later.

Summary

Lima: An arbitrary user in a QEMU VM could gain the root privilege in the VM via the guest agent socket

Workarounds

On macOS hosts, use vz driver instead of qemu (limactl create --vm-type=vz. Default since v1.0.)
Or, disable the guest agent (limactl create --plain)

Impact

On an instance of Lima running with qemu driver, an arbitrary user in the VM could access /run/lima-guestagent.sock when the guest agent is enabled.

This could result in running an arbitrary command with the root privileges in the VM (not on the host), as lima-guestagent.sock provides the tunneling service for an arbitrary address, including a Unix socket address for privileged daemons like D-Bus.

This vulnerability is not exploitable on vz driver, as the guest agent uses vsocks instead of Unix sockets.

CVE-2026-53657 has a CVSS score of 8.2 (High). The vector is requires local access, high privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.1.3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

github.com/lima-vm/lima/v2 (<= 2.1.2)

Security releases

github.com/lima-vm/lima/v2 → 2.1.3 (go)

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.

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Remediation advice

Patched in Lima v2.1.3 (8a45892378d22f40505c31a38f786a07701b6d50)

[!NOTE]
The default user account in the VM can still run an arbitrary command as the root via the guest agent socket.
This is not a vulnerability, as the user can already run an arbitrary command with sudo by design.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-53657? CVE-2026-53657 is a high-severity security vulnerability in github.com/lima-vm/lima/v2 (go), affecting versions <= 2.1.2. It is fixed in 2.1.3.
How severe is CVE-2026-53657? CVE-2026-53657 has a CVSS score of 8.2 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
Which versions of github.com/lima-vm/lima/v2 are affected by CVE-2026-53657? github.com/lima-vm/lima/v2 (go) versions <= 2.1.2 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-53657? Yes. CVE-2026-53657 is fixed in 2.1.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2026-53657 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-53657 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-2026-53657 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-2026-53657? Upgrade github.com/lima-vm/lima/v2 to 2.1.3 or later.