Evidence used
- No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
- EPSS is 0.65% for the current model date.
BlackTreeCVE IntelligenceFull vulnerability report · 2026
CVE-2026-92574High confidence
Cri-o: cri-o checkpoint restore bypasses destination security context
Red Hat · Confidential Compute Attestation
8.8HighCVSS 3.1
Patch only the product branches with a verified fix
Fix availability varies by productHigh technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance. Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 2 structured product or package states remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.
R
Open reassessment dashboard →Operational reassessment
Published severity in operational context
Published severityHigh→Operational priority:High, unchanged from published severity.unchanged
Compensating controls
- Apply the linked authoritative mitigation while planning the permanent fix.
- Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
- Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.
Verification
- Confirm that the asset runs Red Hat Confidential Compute Attestation and falls inside the recorded affected range.
- Recheck the vendor advisory before scheduling a change because no verified fixed version is currently retained.
- Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
- Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Remediation availability differs by product scope
Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 2 structured product or package states remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.
- Red Hat Product Security: 2 affected or under-investigation product states without a fixed product state in the same current advisory
Direct vendor intelligence
1 currentAuthoritative vendor CSAF and VEX advisories
Structured product status and remediation from the issuing vendor. Product-state explanations are always visible; large lists can be searched or downloaded.
CVE-2026-92574 · CSAF 2.0 · revision 3 · finalRed Hat Product Securitycri-o: CRI-O checkpoint restore bypasses destination security context
The vendor explicitly identifies these products as affected by this CVE.
- cri-o as a component of Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
- cri-o.src as a component of Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
- Summary
- A vulnerability in CRI-O checkpoint restore allows a user who can create a pod from a malicious checkpointed container to bypass the destination Kubernetes security context. The restored process may retain credentials, Linux capabilities, no_new_privs, and seccomp state from the checkpoint instead of enforcing the destination configuration. This can allow execution with elevated privileges across the container security boundary. Affected upstream supported versions are CRI-O 1.34 and later. Downstream Red Hat products are affected from OCP 4.17 onward. Fixes have been applied to supported branches but are not yet released. Exploitation requires permission to create a pod from a malicious checkpoint image and checkpoint restore functionality to be available.
- Remediation
- Upgrade (primary remediation): Update CRI-O to a fixed version once available: 1.36.6 (1.36.x branch), 1.35.9 (1.35.x branch), or 1.34.14 (1.34.x branch). For Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform, apply the corresponding OCP update when released. Until the fix is applied, the following measures reduce exposure: Disable checkpoint restore if not required: In OpenShift, container checkpoint/restore requires the ContainerCheckpoint feature gate, which is Tech Preview and not enabled by default. Clusters that have not explicitly enabled this feature gate are not exposed to this flaw. If it was enabled and is not actively needed, disable it. For standalone CRI-O, set enable_criu_support = false in crio.conf under [crio.runtime] and restart the CRI-O service. Restrict pod creation privileges: Limit Kubernetes RBAC for the create and update verbs on pods, deployments, daemonsets, statefulsets, jobs, and cronjobs resources to trusted users and service accounts only. Exploitation requires the ability to schedule a pod referencing a malicious checkpoint image. Enforce Pod Security Standards: Apply the restricted or baseline Pod Security Standard at the namespace level using Pod Security Admission. While this does not directly block checkpoint restore, it limits the security contexts an attacker can request, reducing the impact if combined with other controls. Restrict container image registries: Use an image policy (e.g., OpenShift image policy, Kyverno, or OPA Gatekeeper) to allowlist trusted registries only. This prevents pods from pulling malicious checkpoint images hosted on attacker-controlled registries. Identify and remediate previously restored containers: If checkpoint restore has been used with images from untrusted sources, stop, delete, and recreate those containers. The restored process state may not match the intended security context.
High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance. Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 2 structured product or package states remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.
Fix availability varies by product01
What, why and how
A vulnerability in CRI-O checkpoint restore allows a user who can create a pod from a malicious checkpointed container to bypass the destination Kubernetes security context. The restored process may retain credentials, Linux capabilities, no_new_privs, and seccomp state from the checkpoint instead of enforcing the destination configuration. This can allow execution with elevated privileges across the container security boundary. Affected upstream supported versions are CRI-O 1.34 and later. Downstream Red Hat products are affected from OCP 4.17 onward. Fixes have been applied to supported branches but are not yet released. Exploitation requires permission to create a pod from a malicious checkpoint image and checkpoint restore functionality to be available.
What
A vulnerability in CRI-O checkpoint restore allows a user who can create a pod from a malicious checkpointed container to bypass the destination Kubernetes security context. The restored process may retain credentials, Linux capabilities, no_new_privs, and seccomp state from the checkpoint instead of enforcing the destination configuration. This can allow execution with elevated privileges across the container security boundary. Affected upstream supported versions are CRI-O 1.34 and later. Downstream Red Hat products are affected from OCP 4.17 onward. Fixes have been applied to supported branches but are not yet released. Exploitation requires permission to create a pod from a malicious checkpoint image and checkpoint restore functionality to be available.
Why
The product performs an operation at a privilege level that is higher than the minimum level required, which creates new weaknesses or amplifies the consequences of other weaknesses.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may gain additional privileges.
What
A vulnerability in CRI-O checkpoint restore allows a user who can create a pod from a malicious checkpointed container to bypass the destination Kubernetes security context. The restored process may retain credentials, Linux capabilities, no_new_privs, and seccomp state from the checkpoint instead of enforcing the destination configuration. This can allow execution with elevated privileges across the container security boundary. Affected upstream supported versions are CRI-O 1.34 and later. Downstream Red Hat products are affected from OCP 4.17 onward. Fixes have been applied to supported branches but are not yet released. Exploitation requires permission to create a pod from a malicious checkpoint image and checkpoint restore functionality to be available.
Why
The product performs an operation at a privilege level that is higher than the minimum level required, which creates new weaknesses or amplifies the consequences of other weaknesses.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may gain additional privileges.
02
Exploit reality and attack path
CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.
Observed exploitation No confirmed evidence
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.
Public PoC / exploit material None recorded
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.
- Likely attack path
- a network path → Execution with Unnecessary Privileges → gain additional privileges
- Attack surface
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low: a basic authenticated account is required
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
- Security boundary
- Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
- Weakness
?
CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness. - CWE-250 ↗
CWE-250: Execution with Unnecessary Privileges. The product performs an operation at a privilege level that is higher than the minimum level required, which creates new weaknesses or amplifies the consequences of other weaknesses.
- CVSS vector
?
CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity. CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCommon Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.
AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRLowPrivileges required: The attacker needs basic user-level privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.- Post-exploitation / living off the land
- Stolen credentials, tokens and legitimate administration functions may provide continued access without deploying a large custom toolset.
03
Patch and workaround
Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.
- Status
?
Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change. - Fix availability varies by product
- Affected
- Action
- Use the product-specific evidence above. Patch only products with a verified fixed release, and keep every affected or under-investigation state without a matching fix in the remediation queue.
- Workaround
- Upgrade (primary remediation): Update CRI-O to a fixed version once available: 1.36.6 (1.36.x branch), 1.35.9 (1.35.x branch), or 1.34.14 (1.34.x branch). For Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform, apply the corresponding OCP update when released. Until the fix is applied, the following measures reduce exposure: Disable checkpoint restore if not required: In OpenShift, container checkpoint/restore requires the ContainerCheckpoint feature gate, which is Tech Preview and not enabled by default. Clusters that have not explicitly enabled this feature gate are not exposed to this flaw. If it was enabled and is not actively needed, disable it. For standalone CRI-O, set enable_criu_support = false in crio.conf under [crio.runtime] and restart the CRI-O service. Restrict pod creation privileges: Limit Kubernetes RBAC for the create and update verbs on pods, deployments, daemonsets, statefulsets, jobs, and cronjobs resources to trusted users and service accounts only. Exploitation requires the ability to schedule a pod referencing a malicious checkpoint image. Enforce Pod Security Standards: Apply the restricted or baseline Pod Security Standard at the namespace level using Pod Security Admission. While this does not directly block checkpoint restore, it limits the security contexts an attacker can request, reducing the impact if combined with other controls. Restrict container image registries: Use an image policy (e.g., OpenShift image policy, Kyverno, or OPA Gatekeeper) to allowlist trusted registries only. This prevents pods from pulling malicious checkpoint images hosted on attacker-controlled registries. Identify and remediate previously restored containers: If checkpoint restore has been used with images from untrusted sources, stop, delete, and recreate those containers. The restored process state may not match the intended security context.
04
Evidence and provenance
Published 21 Sept 2026 · Last source change 1 Oct 2026, 11:15 UTC · CWE-250 · Execution with Unnecessary Privileges
CVE recordCVE.org · 5.2
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source FIRST · tracked since 2026-09-22
?
The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-83881
Product sourceVendor CSAF · Red Hat Product Security
Remediation sourceVendor CSAF · Red Hat Product Security
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD awaiting enrichment
Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.
Material change intelligence
View recent updates ↗What changed after publication
- Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.CNA ↗
- Before
- See the vendor and CVE records for the affected range. · Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
- After
- 1.34.0 < 1.34.14, 1.35.0 < 1.35.9, 1.36.0 < 1.36.6 · Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
- ENISA EUVD mappingEUVD-2026-83881 was added to the official ENISA EUVD mapping for this CVE.ENISA EUVD ↗
- Before
- not recorded
- After
- {"euvdId":"EUVD-2026-83881"}
- Catalogue recordCVE added to the BlackTree catalogue.CNA ↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
- CVE
- Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
- CVSS
- Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
- EPSS
- Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
- CWE
- Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
- CNA
- CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
- CISA ADP
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
- NVD
- National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
- CERT / CSIRT
- A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
- PoC
- Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
- CSAF
- Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
- LoTL
- Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.