CVE-2026-48785: apptainer Path Traversal

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-48785 is a medium (CVSS 4.8) Path Traversal vulnerability in apptainer. EPSS estimates a 0.15% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 3.7% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 15-09-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 15-09-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

Apptainer is an open source container platform. Prior to version 1.5.1, Image.AuthorizedPath applies plain string-prefix matching to the limit container paths directive in apptainer.conf, so an allowed path such as /data/safe also authorizes a sibling path such as /data/safe-but-unsafe. A local user can consequently run a container from a directory outside the administrator's intended allowlist when Apptainer operates in setuid mode. Installations that do not use setuid mode or do not configure limit container paths are not affected, and unrestricted user namespaces already allow users to run containers of their choice. This issue is fixed in version 1.5.1.

• 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.