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CVE Record

CVE-2026-33414: PowerShell Command Injection in Podman HyperV Machine

Podman is a tool for managing OCI containers and pods. Versions 4.8.0 through 5.8.1 contain a command injection vulnerability in the HyperV machine backend in pkg/machine/hyperv/stubber.go, where the VM image path is inserted into a PowerShell double-quoted string without sanitization, allowing $() subexpression injection. Because PowerShell evaluates subexpressions inside double-quoted strings before executing the outer command, an attacker who can control the VM image path through a crafted machine name or image directory can execute arbitrary PowerShell commands with the privileges of the Podman process. On typical Windows installations this means SYSTEM-level code execution, and only Windows is affected as the code is exclusive to the HyperV backend. This issue has been patched in version 5.8.2.

HighCVSS 8.8Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2026-33414 is a high-severity Podman flaw affecting Windows HyperV machine use. A local attacker who can influence a VM image path or related machine input could make Podman run unintended PowerShell commands with Podman’s privileges, commonly SYSTEM on Windows. Podman 5.8.2 contains the fix.

Executive priority

Treat this as a priority patch for Windows engineering and build environments. The affected population may be narrow, but successful exploitation could give high-impact code execution under powerful local privileges.

Technical view

Podman 4.8.0 through 5.8.1 insert the HyperV VM image path into a PowerShell double-quoted string without sanitization in pkg/machine/hyperv/stubber.go. PowerShell expands subexpressions inside double quotes, enabling command injection when an attacker controls the image path through a crafted machine name or image directory.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to Windows systems using Podman’s HyperV machine backend with versions 4.8.0 through 5.8.1. Linux, macOS, and non-HyperV backends are not identified as affected in the provided sources.

Exploitation context

The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. The attack is local, low-complexity, requires low privileges, and does not require user interaction once the attacker can control the relevant Podman machine path input.

Researcher notes

The evidence points to unsafe PowerShell string construction and a patch commit correcting the affected HyperV backend path handling. Do not assume broader platform impact, remote exploitability, or active exploitation from the supplied sources.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade affected Windows Podman installations to version 5.8.2 or later.
  • Prioritize developer workstations, build hosts, and CI runners using Podman with HyperV.
  • Restrict untrusted local users from creating or modifying Podman machine paths until patched.
  • Review vendor advisories for platform-specific package availability and operational guidance.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Windows hosts running Podman versions 4.8.0 through 5.8.1.
  • Confirm whether the HyperV machine backend is enabled or used.
  • Verify upgraded hosts report Podman version 5.8.2 or later.
  • Review endpoint telemetry for unusual PowerShell child activity associated with Podman processes.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
6

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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 · medium confidence lookup

CWE-78: Command execution behavior lookup

Command injection weaknesses can lead defenders to review execution techniques and command interpreter telemetry. 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 lookup
cwe · medium confidence lookup

CWE-94: Code execution behavior lookup

Code execution and unsafe deserialization weaknesses often justify reviewing execution behavior and process telemetry. 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.

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description · low confidence lookup

Execution 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.

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2026-33414 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
8.8 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Official CVE source material

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.

2CVSS vectors
5Timeline events
2ADP providers
7Source links

SSVC decision data

CISA-ADPCISA Coordinator
Timestamp
Version
2.0.3
Exploitation: noneAutomatable: yesTechnical Impact: total

CVSS vector scores

2 official scores

We 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.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
8.8CVSS 3.1HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H26redhat-SADP
4CVSS 4.0MediumCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U——GitHub_M

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 4.0 score

4Medium
CVSS 4.0 vector shape for CVE-2026-33414Attack VectorAttack ComplexityAttack RequirementsPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionVS ConfidentialityVS IntegrityVS AvailabilitySS ConfidentialitySS IntegritySS Availability

Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Attack Requirements
NonePresent
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NonePassiveActive
VS Confidentiality
HighLowNone
VS Integrity
HighLowNone
VS Availability
HighLowNone
SS Confidentiality
HighLowNone
SS Integrity
HighLowNone
SS Availability
HighLowNone

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. ADP timelineredhat-SADP

    Made public.

  3. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  4. ADP timelineredhat-SADP

    Reported to Red Hat.

  5. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

ADP provider summaries

CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
other:ssvc
redhat-SADPpodman: github.com/containers/podman: Podman: Arbitrary code execution via command injection in HyperV backend
other:Red Hat severity ratingcvssV3_1
  • 2026-04-14T23:01:05.579Z: Reported to Red Hat.
  • 2026-04-14T22:42:19.822Z: Made public.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
containerspodman>= 4.8.0, < 5.8.2Listed
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-78CWE-94

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-78 · source CWE mapping

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.

Open CWE intelligenceSame-CWE CVEs
CWE-94 · source CWE mapping

Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')

Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.

Open CWE intelligenceSame-CWE CVEs