Vulnerability · Published May 14, 2026 · Assigned by GitHub_M
CVE-2026-41888Distribution: Tag deletion bypasses `storage.delete.enabled` configuration
Medium 6.3
In plain English
A medium-severity incorrect authorization in distribution from distribution. Proof-of-concept exploit code is public. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.3% (higher than 22% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
Official description
Distribution is a toolkit to pack, ship, store, and deliver container content. Prior to 3.1.1, tag deletion via the DELETE /v2/<name>/manifests/<tag> endpoint bypasses the storage.delete.enabled: false configuration, allowing any API client to remove tags from repositories even when the operator has explicitly disabled deletion. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.1.1.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | docker-registry | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-41888 |
| Debian:13 | docker-registry | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-41888 |
| Debian:14 | docker-registry | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-41888 |
| Go | github.com/distribution/distribution | no fix listed | GO-2026-5185 |
| Go | github.com/distribution/distribution | no fix listed | GHSA-6pjf-3r9x-m592 |
| Go | github.com/distribution/distribution/v3 | 3.1.1 | GHSA-6pjf-3r9x-m592 |
| Go | github.com/distribution/distribution/v3 | 3.1.1 | GO-2026-5185 |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | docker-registry | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-41888 |
| Ubuntu:25.10 | docker-registry | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-41888 |
| Ubuntu:26.10 | docker-registry | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-41888 |
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| distribution | distribution | < 3.1.1 |
Weakness: CWE-863 · Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N