CVE-2026-16033: canonical lxd Path Traversal

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-16033 is a high (CVSS 8.5) Path Traversal vulnerability in canonical lxd. EPSS estimates a 0.35% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 27.3% of scored vulnerabilities. 1 public exploit is recorded.

Timeline

1. 12-08-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 13-08-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

A path traversal vulnerability in LXD allows an attacker to achieve arbitrary host file read or unconstrained file creation. When processing image metadata templates, LXD fails to properly sanitize or restrict template file paths from escaping the instance templates directory (specifically affecting virtual machine / QEMU driver execution paths). An attacker can exploit this flaw by providing a crafted image archive with malicious template directives containing path traversal sequences, causing LXD to access or write files outside the intended template directory on the host system.

• CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.