CVE-2026-95837
containerd CRI plugin: Checkpoint restore bypasses destination security context
Published Oct 12, 2026 · updated Oct 15, 2026 · containerd containerd
### Impact A vulnerability in containerd's CRI implementation allows a container restored from an untrusted checkpoint via the 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, , and seccomp state directly from checkpoint data rather than enforcing the destination CRI . 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. ### Patches This bug has been addressed in containerd 2.2.7 and 2.3.4 by disabling checkpoint restore via 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 API can re-enable the feature by setting the new configuration option. However, enabling restore via leaves this vulnerability present, as containerd cannot enforce destination security policy during CRIU process restoration. ### Workarounds On unpatched versions, containerd does not provide a configuration option to disable checkpoint restore via . Deployments should restrict container creation permissions to trusted users, validate container image registries, or use admission controllers to reject images containing checkpoint data. ### References * [CRIU image security](https://checkpoint-restore.github.io/criu/secu
Code
The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.
Timeline
Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.
Oct 15, 2026 · GitHub Advisory Database
Detected
### Impact A vulnerability in containerd's CRI implementation allows a container restored from an untrusted checkpoint via the 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, , and seccomp state directly from checkpoint data rather
Oct 15, 2026 · GitHub Advisory Database
Fix available
github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 fixed in 2.2.7; github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 fixed in 2.3.4
Oct 15, 2026 · GitHub Advisory Database
Fix available
github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 fixed in 2.2.7
Oct 15, 2026 · GitHub Advisory Database
Fix available
github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 fixed in 2.3.4
Oct 15, 2026 · GitHub Advisory Database
Updated
### Impact A vulnerability in containerd's CRI implementation allows a container restored from an untrusted checkpoint via the 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, , and seccomp state directly from checkpoint data rather
Affected
- Go github.com/containerd/containerd/v22.1.0 → 2.2.7
- Go github.com/containerd/containerd/v22.3.0 → 2.3.4
- go github.com/containerd/containerd/v2>= 2.1.0, < 2.2.7
- go github.com/containerd/containerd/v2>= 2.3.0, < 2.3.4
- go github.com/containerd/containerd/v2>=2.1.0 <2.2.7||>=2.3.0 <2.3.4
- golang github.comversion unspecified
- vendor containerd containerdversion unspecified
Sources
- CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2026-95837
containerd is an open-source container runtime. From 2.1.0 until 2.2.7 and 2.3.4, containerd's CRI CreateContainer checkpoint restore is vulnerable because CRIU restores process security state from checkpoint data instead of enforcing the destination ContainerConfig. An attacker
cve.org - GitHub Advisory DatabasePackage advisoryGHSA-p7v4-vr35-mj6f
GitHub Advisory Database record mirrored by OSV.
github.com - GitLab Advisory DatabasePackage advisoryCVE-2026-95837
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 check
advisories.gitlab.com - GitLab Advisory DatabasePackage advisorygo/github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/CVE-2026-95837.yml
A vulnerability in containerd's CRI implementation allows a container + restored from an untrusted checkpoint via the 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, , and seccomp state directly from + checkpoint data rather
gitlab.com - OSV.devPackage advisoryGHSA-p7v4-vr35-mj6f
containerd CRI plugin: Checkpoint restore bypasses destination security context
osv.dev