Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Incus versions before 7.2.0 can let a low-privileged user escape restricted-project protections through instance snapshots. By abusing normally blocked low-level configuration hooks, that user could execute arbitrary commands on the Incus server, threatening hosted workloads and the underlying system.
Executive priority
Treat this as an emergency upgrade for affected multi-user or delegated Incus environments. The vulnerability enables host-level command execution from low-privileged access, creating potential compromise across workloads. Where exposure cannot be excluded quickly, restrict untrusted access until version 7.2.0 is deployed.
Technical view
Instance snapshot handling fails to enforce `restricted.containers.lowlevel=block`. An authenticated, low-privileged user can abuse `raw.lxc` or `raw.qemu` hooks, crossing the project security boundary and achieving command execution on the host. The flaw is classified as CWE-862 and carries CVSS 3.1 score 9.9.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Incus versions earlier than 7.2.0. Risk is highest where untrusted or delegated users access restricted projects and can interact with instance snapshot functionality. The supplied sources do not identify specific deployments, default configurations, or internet exposure requirements.
Exploitation context
The attack is network-accessible, requires low privileges, needs no user interaction, and can compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability beyond the vulnerable security scope. The source bundle reports no CISA KEV listing, and no supplied source confirms active exploitation.
Researcher notes
The core failure is missing authorization enforcement during snapshot processing, not a direct unauthenticated entry point. Investigation should focus on security-control consistency between ordinary instance operations and snapshot paths. Evidence provided establishes affected versions, impact, primitives, and the fixed release, but not exploitation in the wild.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade affected Incus installations to version 7.2.0 or later.
- Prioritize servers hosting restricted projects used by untrusted or delegated users.
- Until upgraded, limit untrusted access to affected Incus servers and snapshot operations.
- Review the vendor advisory for any additional supported operational guidance.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Incus servers and confirm each installed version is 7.2.0 or later.
- Identify restricted projects using `restricted.containers.lowlevel=block`.
- Review snapshot activity involving `raw.lxc` or `raw.qemu` configuration.
- Confirm untrusted users cannot access remaining unpatched Incus installations.
- After upgrading, verify normal restricted-project and snapshot operations still function.
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-862: Authorization and privilege behavior lookup
Authorization weaknesses can support privilege escalation and valid-account review, depending on exploit path. 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 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-2026-48751 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
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.9 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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
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:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H3.16GitHub_MVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.9CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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.
- 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
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/lxc/incus/security/advisories/GHSA-48q5-w887-33wvCVE reference, GitHub_M · x_refsource_CONFIRM
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.
Missing Authorization
Missing Authorization represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.