CVE-2021-20188

7.0 HIGH 0.3% exploit odds Fix listed

What it is

A flaw was found in podman before 1.7.0. File permissions for non-root users running in a privileged container are not correctly checked. This flaw can be abused by a low-privileged user inside the container to access any other file in the container, even if owned by the root user inside the container. It does not allow to directly escape the container, though being a privileged container means that a lot of security features are disabled when running the container. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality and integrity as well as system availability.

At a glance

Exploitability: Can be exploited locally on the machine with a low-privilege account. High risk of data exposure, data tampering, service disruption.
Exploit odds: 0.3% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Fix: A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

2021-02-11 18:15 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2026-06-17 03:33 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
Exploit odds: 0.3% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Severity: 7.0 HIGH (CVSS).
Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published: 2021-02-11 18:15 UTC
Last modified: 2026-06-17 03:33 UTC
Exploit probability: 0.3% · EPSS, next 30 days
Weakness: CWE-863 · Incorrect authorization
Record status: Modified

Affected

Podman Project Podman < 1.7.0
Redhat Openshift Container Platform 3.11
Redhat Enterprise Linux 7.0
Redhat Enterprise Linux 8.0

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 7.0

Attack vector: Local
Complexity: High
Privileges needed: Low
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2021-20188.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2021-20188. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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Fix and advisories

References

NVD record · CVE.org record