Executive brief
Podman is a container runtime tool used to run and manage containerized applications. A flaw in the `podman load` command allows an attacker to create files on the host machine with the privileges of the user running Podman by providing a specially crafted tar archive, potentially leading to unauthorized file modification or privilege escalation on the host system.
Technical details
A path traversal vulnerability exists in Podman's `podman load` command when processing tar archives. An attacker can craft a malicious tar file containing relative or absolute path sequences (such as symlinks or directory traversal patterns) that, when extracted, create or overwrite files outside the intended container directory on the host. The vulnerability requires the attacker to provide the tar archive as input to `podman load`, but does not require authentication. An exploited vulnerability allows arbitrary file creation/modification on the host filesystem with the privileges of the user running the Podman daemon. A patch is available.
Affected products
- Podman Project Podman
Timeline
- 2026-09-15: disclosed
- 2026-09-23: patched: Fix available in buildah package updates