Ambiguous OCI manifest parsing in github.com/containerd/containerd
Summary
GHSA-5j5w-g665-5m35: Ambiguous OCI manifest parsing. Affects github.com/containerd/containerd across 2 version ranges.
< 1.4.12
>= 1.5.0, < 1.5.8
Fixed in 1.4.12 or 1.5.8, depending on the release line you run. How to fix ↓
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Background
github.com/containerd/containerd is an open-source container runtime that provides a platform-agnostic interface for managing containers. It is written in Go and is widely used in container orchestration systems. This vulnerability affects versions of containerd prior to 1.4.12 and 1.5.8. Containerd treats the Content-Type header as trusted and deserializes the OCI manifest and index documents according to that header. However, without an accompanying Content-Type HTTP header, the manifest and index documents become ambiguous.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability arises from the ambiguity of manifest and index documents in the OCI Distribution Specification version 1.0.0 and prior, as well as the OCI Image Specification version 1.0.1 and prior. If the Content-Type header changes between pulls of the same ambiguous document (with the same digest), the document may be interpreted differently. This means that relying solely on the digest is insufficient to unambiguously identify the content of the image. An attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability to manipulate the interpretation of the document and execute malicious code.
How To Fix
Latest published version: v1.7.36 as of 22 Oct 2026
go get github.com/containerd/containerd@v1.7.36Upgrading to it may include breaking changes; the versions below are the minimum fixed release for this vulnerability.
If you can't move to the latest
The minimum fixed version depends on the release line you run.
-
< 1.4.121.4.12go get github.com/containerd/containerd@v1.4.12 -
>= 1.5.0, < 1.5.81.5.8go get github.com/containerd/containerd@v1.5.8
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Workaround
If updating containerd is not immediately feasible, it is crucial to ensure that images are only pulled from trusted sources. By verifying the source and integrity of the images, the risk of exploitation can be reduced.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the ambiguity in OCI manifest parsing in github.com/containerd/containerd can lead to the execution of unintended or malicious code. It is crucial to update containerd to the patched versions or ensure the use of trusted image sources. For further support on vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.
See every vulnerability recorded for github.com/containerd/containerd →
FAQ
Containerd is an open-source container runtime that provides a platform-agnostic interface for managing containers. It is widely used in container orchestration systems.
Versions of containerd prior to 1.4.12 and 1.5.8 are affected by this vulnerability.
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by manipulating the interpretation of ambiguous manifest and index documents, potentially leading to the execution of malicious code.
The impact of this vulnerability is that the content of an image may be interpreted differently based on the Content-Type header, even if the digest remains the same. This can lead to the execution of unintended or malicious code.
To mitigate this vulnerability, it is recommended to update containerd to version 1.4.12 or 1.5.8. Alternatively, ensure that images are only pulled from trusted sources.
References
Related vulnerabilities
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