Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw lets a malicious or already-compromised Kata guest influence where the host mounts an untrusted container filesystem. In worst cases, that could lead to code execution on the host, crossing the isolation boundary Kata is meant to provide. It is most urgent for environments running untrusted or multi-tenant workloads.
Executive priority
Treat this as high priority for any platform using Kata to isolate untrusted workloads. The issue threatens the host boundary, but exploitation has specific preconditions and no active exploitation is shown in the supplied sources. Prioritize patch verification on multi-tenant and externally supplied image environments.
Technical view
CVE-2020-2026 is a CWE-59 path-handling issue in kata-runtime. A compromised guest before container creation can cause the runtime to mount a container image on an arbitrary host path. The CVSS 3.1 score is 7.8 with local access, high complexity, low privileges, changed scope, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to systems using affected Kata Containers versions: 1.11 before 1.11.1, 1.10 before 1.10.5, and 1.9 or earlier. Risk is higher where guest images, container workloads, or tenants are not fully trusted.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. Exploitation requires a malicious or compromised guest before container creation, such as a malicious guest image or a guest running multiple containers. The reported outcome can cross from guest/container context to host impact.
Researcher notes
Evidence identifies the affected version ranges, CWE-59 classification, fixed Kata runtime releases, issue and pull request references, and Fedora advisories. The bundle does not provide exploit telemetry, detailed root-cause text, or complete downstream package mapping, so environment-specific validation is required.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Kata Containers 1.11 deployments to 1.11.1 or later.
- Upgrade Kata Containers 1.10 deployments to 1.10.5 or later.
- Replace or retire Kata Containers 1.9 and earlier where still deployed.
- Apply relevant Fedora package updates where Fedora packages are used.
- Review vendor guidance if using downstream or bundled Kata packages.
Validation and detection
- Inventory hosts and clusters running Kata Containers or kata-runtime.
- Confirm kata-runtime versions against 1.11.1 and 1.10.5 fixed releases.
- Identify workloads using untrusted guest images or multi-tenant container execution.
- Check package manager history for relevant Fedora or vendor security updates.
- Review runtime configuration and host logs for unexpected mount behavior.
Public sources used
- CVE Program
- CVE List V5
- Kata Containers runtime 1.11.1 release
- Kata Containers runtime 1.10.5 release
- Kata Containers runtime issue 2712
- Kata Containers runtime pull request 2713
- FEDORA-2020-7a0b6071a4
- FEDORA-2020-2f5879aeb6
- FEDORA-2020-c33083813d
- FEDORA-2020-1af9cd8c87
- FEDORA-2020-61fcf3ffc7
- FEDORA-2020-15a1bde727
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-59: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupContainer behavior lookup
The affected technology mentions containers, so container-specific ATT&CK technique review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-2026 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H1.16Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/kata-containers/runtime/releases/tag/1.11.1CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/kata-containers/runtime/releases/tag/1.10.5CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/kata-containers/runtime/issues/2712CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/kata-containers/runtime/pull/2713CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- FEDORA-2020-7a0b6071a4CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_FEDORA
- FEDORA-2020-2f5879aeb6CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_FEDORA
- FEDORA-2020-c33083813dCVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_FEDORA
- FEDORA-2020-1af9cd8c87CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_FEDORA
- FEDORA-2020-61fcf3ffc7CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_FEDORA
- FEDORA-2020-15a1bde727CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_FEDORA
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.