{
  "containers": {
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "product": "kata-containers",
          "vendor": "kata-containers",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "\u003c 4.0.0"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "Kata Containers is an open source project focusing on a standard implementation of lightweight Virtual Machines (VMs) that perform like containers. Prior to version 4.0.0, kata-runtime is vulnerable to host code execution via an unvalidated configuration path annotation. The runtime accepts an arbitrary io.katacontainers.config_path pod annotation and loads the referenced host TOML file without restriction. As a result, a pod user who can place a file at a host-visible path can supply a configuration that selects an attacker-controlled hypervisor or virtio-fs daemon binary, executing code as root on the host. This issue is fixed in version 4.0.0."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV3_1": {
            "attackComplexity": "LOW",
            "attackVector": "NETWORK",
            "availabilityImpact": "NONE",
            "baseScore": 9.6,
            "baseSeverity": "CRITICAL",
            "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH",
            "integrityImpact": "HIGH",
            "privilegesRequired": "LOW",
            "scope": "CHANGED",
            "userInteraction": "NONE",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N",
            "version": "3.1"
          }
        }
      ],
      "problemTypes": [
        {
          "descriptions": [
            {
              "cweId": "CWE-20",
              "description": "CWE-20: Improper Input Validation",
              "lang": "en",
              "type": "CWE"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "descriptions": [
            {
              "cweId": "CWE-22",
              "description": "CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory (\u0027Path Traversal\u0027)",
              "lang": "en",
              "type": "CWE"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2026-08-07T20:56:26.209Z",
        "orgId": "a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa",
        "shortName": "GitHub_M"
      },
      "references": [
        {
          "name": "https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers/security/advisories/GHSA-mp2j-xm59-qfgw",
          "tags": [
            "x_refsource_CONFIRM"
          ],
          "url": "https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers/security/advisories/GHSA-mp2j-xm59-qfgw"
        },
        {
          "name": "https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers/commit/03cc670076099530f4e1e9cb22849afdafb20f65",
          "tags": [
            "x_refsource_MISC"
          ],
          "url": "https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers/commit/03cc670076099530f4e1e9cb22849afdafb20f65"
        }
      ],
      "source": {
        "advisory": "GHSA-mp2j-xm59-qfgw",
        "discovery": "UNKNOWN"
      },
      "title": "Kata Containers: Config Path Annotation Arbitrary File Loading"
    }
  },
  "cveMetadata": {
    "assignerOrgId": "a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa",
    "assignerShortName": "GitHub_M",
    "cveId": "CVE-2026-50540",
    "datePublished": "2026-08-07T20:56:26.209Z",
    "dateReserved": "2026-06-04T20:37:18.653Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-08-07T20:56:26.209Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.2",
  "vulnerability-lookup:meta": {
    "epss": {
      "cve": "CVE-2026-50540",
      "date": "2026-08-10",
      "epss": "0.00378",
      "percentile": "0.30529"
    },
    "nvd": "{\"cve\":{\"id\":\"CVE-2026-50540\",\"sourceIdentifier\":\"security-advisories@github.com\",\"published\":\"2026-08-07T21:17:28.827\",\"lastModified\":\"2026-08-07T21:17:28.827\",\"vulnStatus\":\"Received\",\"cveTags\":[],\"descriptions\":[{\"lang\":\"en\",\"value\":\"Kata Containers is an open source project focusing on a standard implementation of lightweight Virtual Machines (VMs) that perform like containers. Prior to version 4.0.0, kata-runtime is vulnerable to host code execution via an unvalidated configuration path annotation. The runtime accepts an arbitrary io.katacontainers.config_path pod annotation and loads the referenced host TOML file without restriction. As a result, a pod user who can place a file at a host-visible path can supply a configuration that selects an attacker-controlled hypervisor or virtio-fs daemon binary, executing code as root on the host. This issue is fixed in version 4.0.0.\"}],\"affected\":[{\"source\":\"security-advisories@github.com\",\"affectedData\":[{\"vendor\":\"kata-containers\",\"product\":\"kata-containers\",\"versions\":[{\"version\":\"\u003c 4.0.0\",\"status\":\"affected\"}]}]}],\"metrics\":{\"cvssMetricV31\":[{\"source\":\"security-advisories@github.com\",\"type\":\"Secondary\",\"cvssData\":{\"version\":\"3.1\",\"vectorString\":\"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N\",\"baseScore\":9.6,\"baseSeverity\":\"CRITICAL\",\"attackVector\":\"NETWORK\",\"attackComplexity\":\"LOW\",\"privilegesRequired\":\"LOW\",\"userInteraction\":\"NONE\",\"scope\":\"CHANGED\",\"confidentialityImpact\":\"HIGH\",\"integrityImpact\":\"HIGH\",\"availabilityImpact\":\"NONE\"},\"exploitabilityScore\":3.1,\"impactScore\":5.8}]},\"weaknesses\":[{\"source\":\"security-advisories@github.com\",\"type\":\"Primary\",\"description\":[{\"lang\":\"en\",\"value\":\"CWE-20\"},{\"lang\":\"en\",\"value\":\"CWE-22\"}]}],\"references\":[{\"url\":\"https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers/commit/03cc670076099530f4e1e9cb22849afdafb20f65\",\"source\":\"security-advisories@github.com\"},{\"url\":\"https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers/security/advisories/GHSA-mp2j-xm59-qfgw\",\"source\":\"security-advisories@github.com\"}]}}",
    "redhat_vex": {
      "aggregate_severity": "Important",
      "current_release_date": "2026-08-07T21:13:33+00:00",
      "cve": "CVE-2026-50540",
      "id": "CVE-2026-50540",
      "initial_release_date": "2026-07-20T12:00:00+00:00",
      "product_status:known_affected": "3",
      "source": "Red Hat CSAF VEX",
      "status": "final",
      "title": "kata-runtime: kata-runtime-rs: Kata Containers: Arbitrary code execution via manipulated configuration path",
      "url": "https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-50540.json",
      "version": "3"
    }
  }
}