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C20/100

Vulnerability · high

LXD host file read and write via templates symlink in malicious image

Tier C · Keep an eye on it – Check if you’re affected

Who’s exposed: LXD hosts that run malicious container images

Tier C because: Hits tech teams

Reach

Attack

Damage

Fix

The Brief

  • GitHub Advisory Database published two advisories on 2026-11-06 for github.com/canonical/lxd.
  • A specially crafted image can be used to read or create/write arbitrary files on the host.
  • The advisories say this could possibly lead to arbitrary command execution on the host.

Why it matters

Hosts that pull and run third-party LXD images could have files on the host read or overwritten by a malicious image, so exposure depends on whether untrusted images are used.

The checklist behind the tier

Checklist · 1 of 10 yes
YesHits tech teamsLXD is a container and VM manager that ops and dev teams run on servers.
NoCore infrastructureLXD is a specialised container manager, not software nearly every team runs like OpenSSH or glibc.
NoPopular toolLXD is used by some infrastructure teams but is niche compared with Docker or Kubernetes.
NoExploited in the wildGitHub Advisory Database: advisories describe a possible flaw; no source reports observed attacks.
NoPublic exploitGitHub Advisory Database: advisories give a summary only; no source says exploit code is published.
NoRemote, no loginGitHub Advisory Database: exploitation requires a specially crafted image supplied to the host, not unauthenticated network access.
NoFull takeoverGitHub Advisory Database: arbitrary file read and write, 'possibly leading to' command execution; not confirmed.
NoSecrets exposedGitHub Advisory Database: the flaw allows reading files; no source says data was stolen or exposed.
NoSupply chainGitHub Advisory Database: a malicious image is the attack vector; no source says a legitimate project or channel was compromised.
NoNo fix yetGitHub Advisory Database sources do not say whether a patched version is available.

Timeline

  1. GitHub Advisory Database published advisory on templates/ symlink file read and write via malicious image

  2. GitHub Advisory Database published advisory on rootfs/ symlink file read and write via malicious image

  3. GitHub Advisory Database

    LXD has arbitrary file read+write on host via templates/ symlink in malicious image

  4. GitHub Advisory Database

    LXD has arbitrary file read+write on host via rootfs/ symlink in malicious image

Full coverage · 2 sources

First seen · 2 sources · Full story page · How tiers are decided