CVE-2023-28642: AppArmor bypass with symlinked /proc in runc
Vulnerability summary
CVE-2023-28642 is a high (CVSS 7.8) Improper Preservation of Permissions vulnerability in linuxfoundation runc. EPSS estimates a 0.34% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 27.8% of scored vulnerabilities.
Not severe (CVSS 6.1, local access); no exploitation reported by the 5 checked sources
Source freshness unavailable
How is this decided?Advisory lineage
Upstream 0 · Downstream 12 · Related 9Timeline
- 29-03-2023PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
- 12-02-2025Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.
Description
runc is a CLI tool for spawning and running containers according to the OCI specification. It was found that AppArmor can be bypassed when `/proc` inside the container is symlinked with a specific mount configuration. This issue has been fixed in runc version 1.1.5, by prohibiting symlinked `/proc`. See PR #3785 for details. users are advised to upgrade. Users unable to upgrade should avoid using an untrusted container image.
CVSS metrics
8 scores · 8 sources · 1 version- CVE.orgCNA6.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:LDiffers
- OSV · UbuntuEcosystem advisory · calculated6.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:LDiffers
- OSV · DebianEcosystem advisory · calculated7.8HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- OSV · WolfiEcosystem advisory · calculated6.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:LDiffers
- OSV · GoEcosystem advisory · calculated6.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:LDiffers
- OSV · ChainguardEcosystem advisory · calculated6.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:LDiffers
- OSV · AlpineEcosystem advisory · calculated7.8HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS trend
Probability
0.34%
Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Percentile
28%
Versus all other CVEs
30-day change
No change 0.00 pp
From 0.34% on 04-10-2026
Known exploited
Compare KEV catalogs
CISA KEVNot in the CISA KEV catalog.
ENISA CNWNot in the ENISA CNW catalog.
CIRCLNot in the CIRCL catalog.
Public exploits
0 foundNo public exploits indexed.
Weaknesses
CWE · root cause- CWE-281Improper Preservation of PermissionsThe product does not preserve permissions or incorrectly preserves permissions when copying, restoring, or sharing objects, which can cause them to have less restrictive permissions than intended.
- CWE-59Improper Link Resolution Before File AccessThe product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.
Affected systems
Known conditions: local access, no authentication, user interaction (CVSS vector). Other conditions: not stated in public data.
Chainguard5 products
- ctop< 0.7.7-r13
- podman< 5.2.2-r1
- podman-doc< 5.2.2-r1
- runcAll versions (No fix recorded)
- runc-docAll versions (No fix recorded)
Wolfi5 products
- ctop< 0.7.7-r13
- podman< 5.2.2-r1
- podman-doc< 5.2.2-r1
- runcAll versions (No fix recorded)
- runc-docAll versions (No fix recorded)
Alpine1 product
- runc< 1.1.5-r0 | < 1.1.4-r0
Debian1 product
- runc< 1.1.5+ds1-1
Github.com/opencontainers1 product
- runc< 1.1.5
Linuxfoundation1 product
- runc< 1.1.5
Opencontainers1 product
- runc< 1.1.5
Ubuntu1 product
- runc< 1.0.0~rc7+git20190403.029124da-0ubuntu1~16.04.4+esm4 | < 1.1.4-0ubuntu1~18.04.2 | < 1.1.4-0ubuntu1~20.04.3 | < 1.1.4-0ubuntu1~22.04.3
8 vendors · 16 products
References
13 links- github.com/opencontainers/runc/security/advisories/GHSA-g2j6-57v7-gm8cX Refsource CONFIRMREPORTAdvisoryWEBPatchVendor Advisory
