CVE-2026-57231
Podman: Malformed Image can trick podman run into leaking host environment variables into the container
Description
Podman is a tool for managing OCI containers and pods. From 1.8.1 until 5.8.4, a container image that contains a environment variable with just a key and no value can trick podman into passing that variable from the host into the container. This is made worse by the fact that using an asterisk (*) will cause podman to pass all host variables into the container. So essentially a malicious image can exfiltrate all podman environment variables that are set in the session from where the container is launched. This vulnerability is fixed in 5.8.4 and 6.0.0.
INFO
Published Date :
June 26, 2026, 5:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
July 6, 2026, 1:30 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | |||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | [email protected] |
Solution
- Update Podman to version 5.8.4 or later.
- Update Podman to version 6.0.0 or later.
- Avoid using container images with empty environment variables.
- Review container environment variable configurations.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-57231.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/podman-container-tools/podman/commit/6c431b73dbf8e4b20b778644d7a80caebdb75050 | Patch |
| https://github.com/podman-container-tools/podman/security/advisories/GHSA-4hq8-gpf5-8p68 | Patch Third Party Advisory |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-57231 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-57231
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-57231 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-57231 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Jul. 06, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:podman_project:podman:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 1.8.1 up to (excluding) 5.8.4 *cpe:2.3:a:podman_project:podman:6.0.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/podman-container-tools/podman/commit/6c431b73dbf8e4b20b778644d7a80caebdb75050 Types: Patch Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/podman-container-tools/podman/security/advisories/GHSA-4hq8-gpf5-8p68 Types: Patch, Third Party Advisory -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Jun. 27, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-57231', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'partial'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-06-27T02:41:47.348825Z'} -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Jun. 26, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'vendor': 'podman-container-tools', 'product': 'podman', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '>= 1.8.1, < 5.8.4'}]}] Added Description Podman is a tool for managing OCI containers and pods. From 1.8.1 until 5.8.4, a container image that contains a environment variable with just a key and no value can trick podman into passing that variable from the host into the container. This is made worse by the fact that using an asterisk (*) will cause podman to pass all host variables into the container. So essentially a malicious image can exfiltrate all podman environment variables that are set in the session from where the container is launched. This vulnerability is fixed in 5.8.4 and 6.0.0. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N Added CWE CWE-200 Added CWE CWE-668 Added Reference https://github.com/podman-container-tools/podman/commit/6c431b73dbf8e4b20b778644d7a80caebdb75050 Added Reference https://github.com/podman-container-tools/podman/security/advisories/GHSA-4hq8-gpf5-8p68