Vulnerability · Published Aug 12, 2026 · Assigned by canonical
CVE-2026-16033Arbitrary file read+write on host via templates/ symlink in malicious image
High 8.5
In plain English
A high-severity path traversal in LXD from Canonical. Proof-of-concept exploit code is public. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.5% (higher than 41% of all known vulnerabilities).
Official description
A path traversal vulnerability in LXD allows an attacker to achieve arbitrary host file read or unconstrained file creation. When processing image metadata templates, LXD fails to properly sanitize or restrict template file paths from escaping the instance templates directory (specifically affecting virtual machine / QEMU driver execution paths). An attacker can exploit this flaw by providing a crafted image archive with malicious template directives containing path traversal sequences, causing LXD to access or write files outside the intended template directory on the host system.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | lxd | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-16033 |
| Debian:13 | lxd | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-16033 |
Affected products (as reported)
Weakness: CWE-22 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
References
- https://github.com/canonical/lxd/security/advisories/GHSA-9hcm-hxh5-7xxh vdb-entry, vendor-advisory