Is CVE-2026-48749 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-48749 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-2026-48749?

Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.9, published 21 August 2026.

Which products and versions are affected?

github.com/lxc/incus (Go) SEMVER:introduced=0; github.com/lxc/incus/v6 (Go) SEMVER:introduced=0; github.com/lxc/incus/v7 (Go) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=7.2.0; github.com/lxc/incus/v7/cmd/incusd (Go) < 7.2.0, SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=7.2.0.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-48749?

Yes. github.com/lxc/incus/v7 (Go): upgrade to 7.2.0 or later; github.com/lxc/incus/v7/cmd/incusd (Go): upgrade to 7.2.0 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

How is CVE-2026-48749 attacked?

It is attacked over the network, in an operating system.

Am I affected by CVE-2026-48749?

Check whether you run github.com/lxc/incus (Go), github.com/lxc/incus/v6 (Go), github.com/lxc/incus/v7 (Go) or one of the others listed at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

CVE-2026-48749: LXC Incus arbitrary file read and write via rootfs symlink

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2026-48749?

Yes. github.com/lxc/incus/v7 (Go): upgrade to 7.2.0 or later; github.com/lxc/incus/v7/cmd/incusd (Go): upgrade to 7.2.0 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

Q: How is CVE-2026-48749 attacked?

It is attacked over the network, in an operating system.

Q: Am I affected by CVE-2026-48749?

Check whether you run github.com/lxc/incus (Go), github.com/lxc/incus/v6 (Go), github.com/lxc/incus/v7 (Go) or one of the others listed at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

CVE-2026-48749 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.9 · Published 2026-08-21

Incus, a container management platform, is vulnerable to a flaw where a specially crafted container image can bypass security boundaries. An attacker can use this to read or write any file on the physical host machine with root privileges. This could lead to a total system takeover, data theft, or permanent disruption of the host server.

Technologies: github.com/lxc/incus (Go), github.com/lxc/incus/v6 (Go), github.com/lxc/incus/v7 (Go), github.com/lxc/incus/v7/cmd/incusd (Go). Vendors: Go.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-48749 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-48749 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-48749?: Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.9, published 21 August 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?: github.com/lxc/incus (Go) SEMVER:introduced=0; github.com/lxc/incus/v6 (Go) SEMVER:introduced=0; github.com/lxc/incus/v7 (Go) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=7.2.0; github.com/lxc/incus/v7/cmd/incusd (Go) < 7.2.0, SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=7.2.0.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-48749?: Yes. github.com/lxc/incus/v7 (Go): upgrade to 7.2.0 or later; github.com/lxc/incus/v7/cmd/incusd (Go): upgrade to 7.2.0 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-48749 attacked?: It is attacked over the network, in an operating system.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-48749?: Check whether you run github.com/lxc/incus (Go), github.com/lxc/incus/v6 (Go), github.com/lxc/incus/v7 (Go) or one of the others listed at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

How to fix

github.com/lxc/incus/v7 (Go): upgrade to 7.2.0 or later
```
go get github.com/lxc/incus/v7@v7.2.0
```
github.com/lxc/incus/v7/cmd/incusd (Go): upgrade to 7.2.0 or later
```
go get github.com/lxc/incus/v7/cmd/incusd@v7.2.0
```

Technical details

Incus is vulnerable to an arbitrary file read/write on the host due to improper validation of symlinks within container images. While Incus initially validates the image upon seeing 'metadata.yaml' and a 'rootfs/' directory, the extraction process can be manipulated to process a duplicate top-level 'rootfs' symlink pointing to the host's root directory. When the stopped-container file API later opens the rootfs path and passes it to 'forkfile' for a chroot operation, it follows the malicious symlink. This allows an authenticated attacker with image import privileges to access the host filesystem with root authority. The issue is fixed in version 7.2.0.

Affected products

LXC Incus < 7.2.0

Identifiers

CVE-2026-48749
GHSA-2q3f-q5pq-g8wv
GO-2026-5798

Timeline

2026-06-25: disclosed
2026-06-26: advisory
2026-06-26: patched: Version 7.2.0 released

References

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