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GHSA-rc4r-wh2q-q6c4

MediumCVSS 5.3 / 10
Published Sep 16, 2022·Last modified Feb 4, 2026
Affected Components(0)

No affected components available

Description

Moby is an open-source project created by Docker to enable software containerization. A bug was found in Moby (Docker Engine) where supplementary groups are not set up properly. If an attacker has direct access to a container and manipulates their supplementary group access, they may be able to use supplementary group access to bypass primary group restrictions in some cases, potentially gaining access to sensitive information or gaining the ability to execute code in that container. This bug is fixed in Moby (Docker Engine) 20.10.18. Users should update to this version when it is available. Running containers should be stopped and restarted for the permissions to be fixed. For users unable to upgrade, this problem can be worked around by not using the "USER $USERNAME" Dockerfile instruction. Instead by calling ENTRYPOINT ["su", "-", "user"] the supplementary groups will be set up properly.

Thanks to Steven Murdoch for reporting this issue.


Impact

If an attacker has direct access to a container and manipulates their supplementary group access, they may be able to use supplementary group access to bypass primary group restrictions in some cases, potentially gaining access to sensitive information or gaining the ability to execute code in that container.

Patches

This bug is fixed in Moby (Docker Engine) 20.10.18. Users should update to this version when it is available.

Workarounds

This problem can be worked around by not using the "USER $USERNAME" Dockerfile instruction. Instead by calling ENTRYPOINT ["su", "-", "user"] the supplementary groups will be set up properly.

References

https://www.benthamsgaze.org/2022/08/22/vulnerability-in-linux-containers-investigation-and-mitigation/

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Risk Scores
Base Score
5.3

The vulnerability requires local access to the device to be exploited. It is easy for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability. An attacker needs basic access or low-level privileges. No user interaction is needed for the attacker to exploit this vulnerability. The impact is confined to the system where the vulnerability exists. There is a low impact on the confidentiality of the information. There is a low impact on the integrity of the data. There is a low impact on the availability of the system.

Threat Intelligence
4.9

Exploitation attempts have been detected. Elevated vigilance and prompt remediation are advised.

EPSS
0.84%

The exploit probability is very low. The vulnerability is unlikely to be exploited in the next 30 days.

Exploit
Not available

We did not find any exploit available. Neither in GitHub repositories nor in the Exploit-Database.

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