Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A malicious or compromised host can abuse Kata Containers file-copy handling to write anywhere inside a guest workload. This could overwrite guest binaries or expose container data, including data in confidential VMs. Kata Containers versions 3.4.0 through 3.28.x are affected; version 3.29.0 fixes the issue.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority isolation failure. Expedite remediation for affected multi-tenant, sensitive-data, and confidential-computing environments. Although active exploitation is not established, potential guest compromise and data exposure justify prompt version verification and upgrading.
Technical view
Symlink handling can subvert the CopyFile policy, enabling an untrusted host to redirect writes to arbitrary guest paths. The CVSS 3.1 score is 8.8, with low attack complexity and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact across a changed scope. The advisory indicates possible CopyFile handler involvement but does not confirm it.
Likely exposure
Exposure exists where Kata Containers versions 3.4.0 through 3.28.x are deployed and the host-to-guest boundary is expected to protect workloads. Risk is especially important for confidential-VM deployments because the flaw can undermine guest isolation from an untrusted or compromised host.
Exploitation context
The supplied record is not listed in KEV, and the source bundle provides no evidence of active exploitation. A public advisory and corrective commit exist, which may increase researcher and attacker awareness, but their availability does not establish exploitation in the wild.
Researcher notes
The record maps the issue to CWE-1220 and CWE-61 and assigns CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. Confirm affected runtime versions and examine the upstream advisory and corrective commit for implementation details. Evidence provided does not establish active exploitation or a supported workaround beyond upgrading.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Kata Containers to version 3.29.0 or later.
- Apply the applicable Red Hat security update when using Red Hat-packaged components.
- If upgrading is delayed, consult vendor guidance for supported temporary risk-reduction measures.
- Prioritize environments relying on protection from untrusted hosts, particularly confidential-VM workloads.
Validation and detection
- Inventory all Kata Containers versions and flag releases from 3.4.0 through 3.28.x.
- Confirm updated deployments report Kata Containers version 3.29.0 or later.
- Identify workloads where untrusted or compromised hosts could access CopyFile functionality.
- Review affected guests for unexplained binary changes or suspicious access to container data.
Public sources used
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-1220: 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 lookupCWE-61: 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 lookupCVE-2026-41326 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
- 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
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.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
2 official scoresWe 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:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H26redhat-SADPCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N——GitHub_MVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
8.2HighVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- ADP timelineredhat-SADP
Reported to Red Hat.
- ADP timelineredhat-SADP
Made public.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
- 2026-04-22T19:00:36.343Z: Reported to Red Hat.
- 2026-04-22T19:01:25.112Z: Made public.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers/security/advisories/GHSA-q49m-57vm-c8ccCVE reference, GitHub_M · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers/commit/1b9e49eb2763aa6ea6a99b276d3ff5e2c7f658f2CVE reference, GitHub_M · x_refsource_MISC
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-41326CVE reference, redhat-SADP · vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHBZ#2460859CVE reference, redhat-SADP · issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-41326.jsonCVE reference, redhat-SADP · x_sadp-csaf-vex
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:25200CVE reference, redhat-SADP · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
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.
Insufficient Granularity of Access Control
Insufficient Granularity of Access Control represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.
UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following
UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.