Containerd, an open-source container runtime, has a flaw in its CRI plugin that restores the container.log file from a checkpoint image without validating a symlinked path. This defect enables an attacker to read any arbitrary file on the host by invoking kubectl logs on a restored checkpoint. The vulnerability arises from CWE-59 (Absolute Path Traversal) and CWE-61 (Improper Handling of Links). The issue affects containerd versions earlier than 2.3.2, 2.2.5, and 2.1.9 and has been fixed in those releases.

containerd versions prior to 2.3.2, 2.2.5, and 2.1.9 are affected. The runtime is widely deployed across Kubernetes distributions, making these versions common in production clusters.

The CVSS score of 8.2 classifies this vulnerability as high severity. The EPSS score is below 1%, indicating a low but nonzero likelihood of exploitation. The vulnerability is not yet listed in CISA KEV. The likely attack path, inferred from the description, involves an attacker supplying a malicious checkpoint image that forces the runtime to follow a symlink when restoring container logs, or invoking kubectl logs against a restored checkpoint. This requires either access to the cluster control plane or the ability to upload a checkpoint image, which may be possible in environments with weak image trust policies.