Summary
containerd CRI plugin: Checkpoint restore bypasses destination security context
Workarounds
On unpatched versions, containerd does not provide a configuration option to disable checkpoint restore via CreateContainer. Deployments should restrict container creation permissions to trusted users, validate container image registries, or use admission controllers to reject images containing checkpoint data.
References
Credits
The containerd project would like to thank @l2yyd5 and @berkpolatCE for responsibly disclosing this issue in accordance with the containerd security policy.
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in containerd
- Email us at [email protected]
To report a security issue in containerd:
- Report a new vulnerability
- Email us at [email protected]
Impact
A vulnerability in containerd's CRI implementation allows a container restored from an untrusted checkpoint via the CreateContainer API to bypass the destination security context and execute with elevated privileges. When restoring a container from a checkpoint archive or annotated OCI image, CRIU restores process credentials, Linux capabilities, no_new_privs, and seccomp state directly from checkpoint data rather than enforcing the destination CRI ContainerConfig. An attacker who can run a container with a crafted checkpoint image can execute processes as root with full capabilities and no enforced seccomp filters despite restrictive security policies requested by the orchestrator. Additionally, containerd's CRI status reporting reflects the requested configuration rather than the actual restored process state, masking the privilege discrepancy from orchestrators. This issue affects Linux systems running containerd with CRI checkpoint restore enabled; users not utilizing CRI checkpoint restore are not affected.
The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access. Typical impact: privilege escalation beyond the intended level.
CVE-2026-95837 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). The vector is requires local access, low 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 (2.2.7, 2.3.4); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
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.
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This bug has been addressed in containerd 2.2.7 and 2.3.4 by disabling checkpoint restore via CreateContainer by default. The feature has been removed entirely in containerd 2.4.0. Users should update to these versions to resolve the issue. Running containers that were restored from untrusted checkpoints should be stopped, deleted, and recreated.
Users who rely on restore via the CreateContainer API can re-enable the feature by setting the new enable_experimental_restore_via_create configuration option. However, enabling restore via CreateContainer leaves this vulnerability present, as containerd cannot enforce destination security policy during CRIU process restoration.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-95837? CVE-2026-95837 is a high-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 (go), affecting versions >= 2.1.0, < 2.2.7. It is fixed in 2.2.7, 2.3.4. The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access.
- How severe is CVE-2026-95837? CVE-2026-95837 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (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/containerd/containerd/v2 are affected by CVE-2026-95837? github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 (go) versions >= 2.1.0, < 2.2.7 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-95837? Yes. CVE-2026-95837 is fixed in 2.2.7, 2.3.4. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-95837 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-95837 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-2026-95837 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-2026-95837?
- Upgrade
github.com/containerd/containerd/v2to 2.2.7 or later - Upgrade
github.com/containerd/containerd/v2to 2.3.4 or later
- Upgrade