High [CVE-2026-53488] Host-root command execution via unvalidated image config labels in CRI plugin

containerd is an open-source container runtime. In versions prior to 1.7.33, 2.3.2, 2.2.5, 2.1.9, and 2.0.10 the CRI plugin propagates labels from an image config (LABEL instruction in Dockerfile) to a container without validation.

This may result in executing an arbitrary command on the host, via a plugin that consumes container labels for some operations. This issue has been fixed in versions 1.7.33, 2.3.2, 2.2.5, 2.1.9, and 2.0.10.

The Container Runtime Interface (CRI) plugin, which manages container operations, fails to validate labels propagated from an image configuration to a container. This oversight could enable an attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the host system through a plugin that processes these unvalidated labels.

The primary impact is host-root command execution, allowing unauthorized control over the underlying system. An attacker who can cause a crafted container image to be pulled and run can achieve host-level code execution.

Red Hat severity: Important — CVSS 8.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H). Weakness: CWE-78.

Affected products named by the advisory: multicluster engine for Kubernetes 2.10; multicluster engine for Kubernetes 2.6; Multicluster Global Hub 1.4.9; Multicluster Global Hub 1.5.8; and 42 more.