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HIGH

CVE-2023-25173

CVSS v3

7.8

HIGH

EPSS Score

0.5 %

exploit probability, as of 2026-10-19

CISA KEV

No

known exploited

Exploitation

—

SSVC status

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Affected and fixed versions

Packages from OSV.dev and products from the vendors' CSAF advisories.

version not verifiedVersions not verified: read as OSV.dev and the vendors publish them, not checked against each vendor's release list.

Packages

  • github.com/containerd/containerdGoall versions · fixed in 1.5.18
  • aardvark-dnsAlmaLinux:8all versions · fixed in 2:1.7.0-1.module_el8.9.0+3657+d86e192f
  • buildahAlmaLinux:9all versions · fixed in 1:1.31.3-1.el9and 1 other package
  • buildahAlmaLinux:8all versions · fixed in 1:1.31.3-1.module_el8.9.0+3643+9234dc3band 1 other package
  • cockpit-podmanAlmaLinux:8all versions · fixed in 75-1.module_el8.9.0+3643+9234dc3b
  • conmonAlmaLinux:8all versions · fixed in 3:2.1.8-1.module_el8.9.0+3643+9234dc3b
  • container-selinuxAlmaLinux:8all versions · fixed in 2:2.221.0-1.module_el8.9.0+3643+9234dc3b
  • containernetworking-pluginsAlmaLinux:8all versions · fixed in 1:1.3.0-4.module_el8.9.0+3643+9234dc3b

15 more package ranges on OSV.dev

Vendor advisories

  • CVE-2023-25173 Red Hat Product Security477 products fixed · 114 known affected

    containerd: Supplementary groups are not set up properly

    cert-manager/jetstack-cert-manager-rhel9 as a component of cert-manager Operator for Red Hat OpenShift · cryostat-tech-preview/cryostat-rhel8-operator as a component of Cryostat 2 · migration-toolkit-virtualization/mtv-controller-rhel9 as a component of Migration Toolkit for Virtualization

  • RHEA-2023:7493 Red Hat Product Security2 products fixed

    Red Hat Enhancement Advisory: OpenShift sandboxed containers 1.5.0 update

  • RHSA-2023:6939 Red Hat Product Security261 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: container-tools:rhel8 security and bug fix update

  • RHSA-2023:6817 Red Hat Product Security2 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: OpenShift Virtualization 4.14.0 Images security and bug fix update

  • RHSA-2023:6474 Red Hat Product Security42 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: podman security, bug fix, and enhancement update

  • RHSA-2023:6473 Red Hat Product Security21 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: buildah security update

12 more advisories

Full record on NVD

Description

containerd is an open source container runtime. A bug was found in containerd prior to versions 1.6.18 and 1.5.18 where supplementary groups are not set up properly inside a container. If an attacker has direct access to a container and manipulates their supplementary group access, they may be able to use supplementary group access to bypass primary group restrictions in some cases, potentially gaining access to sensitive information or gaining the ability to execute code in that container. Downstream applications that use the containerd client library may be affected as well. This bug has been fixed in containerd v1.6.18 and v.1.5.18. Users should update to these versions and recreate containers to resolve this issue. Users who rely on a downstream application that uses containerd's client library should check that application for a separate advisory and instructions. As a workaround, ensure that the `"USER $USERNAME"` Dockerfile instruction is not used. Instead, set the container entrypoint to a value similar to `ENTRYPOINT ["su", "-", "user"]` to allow `su` to properly set up supplementary groups.

Technical details

Published
2023-02-16

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-25173?

containerd is an open source container runtime. A bug was found in containerd prior to versions 1.6.18 and 1.5.18 where supplementary groups are not set up properly inside a container. If an attacker has direct access to a container and manipulates their supplementary group access, they may be able to use supplementary group access to bypass primary group restrictions in some cases, potentially gaining access to sensitive information or gaining the ability to execute code in that container. Downstream applications that use the containerd client library may be affected as well. This bug has been fixed in containerd v1.6.18 and v.1.5.18. Users should update to these versions and recreate containers to resolve this issue. Users who rely on a downstream application that uses containerd's client library should check that application for a separate advisory and instructions. As a workaround, ensure that the `"USER $USERNAME"` Dockerfile instruction is not used. Instead, set the container entrypoint to a value similar to `ENTRYPOINT ["su", "-", "user"]` to allow `su` to properly set up supplementary groups.

Is CVE-2023-25173 actively exploited?

Active exploitation of CVE-2023-25173 has not been confirmed. Its EPSS score was 0.5% on 2026-10-19, the estimated probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2023-25173?

CVE-2023-25173 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.8 (HIGH severity).

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