CVE-2026-33711

What it is

Incus is a system container and virtual machine manager. Incus provides an API to retrieve VM screenshots. That API relies on the use of a temporary file for QEMU to write the screenshot to which is then picked up and sent to the user prior to deletion. As versions prior to 6.23.0 use predictable paths under /tmp for this, an attacker with local access to the system can abuse this mechanism by creating their own symlinks ahead of time. On the vast majority of Linux systems, this will result in a "Permission denied" error when requesting a screenshot. That's because the Linux kernel has a security feature designed to block such attacks, `protected_symlinks`. On the rare systems with this purposefully disabled, it's then possible to trick Incus intro truncating and altering the mode and permissions of arbitrary files on the filesystem, leading to a potential denial of service or possible local privilege escalation. Version 6.23.0 fixes the issue.

At a glance

Exploitability

Can be exploited locally on the machine with a low-privilege account. High risk of data tampering.

Exploit odds

0.4% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).

Fix

A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

1. 2026-03-26 23:16 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2. 2026-06-17 10:37 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Details

Published

2026-03-26 23:16 UTC

Last modified

2026-06-17 10:37 UTC

Exploit probability

0.4% · EPSS, next 30 days

Weakness

CWE-61

Record status

Analyzed

Affected

• Linuxcontainers Incus < 6.23.0

Attack profile CVSS 4.0 · 4.7

Attack vector

Local

Complexity

Low

Attack requirements

Present

Privileges needed

Low

User interaction

None

Confidentiality

None

Integrity

High

Availability

None