A link following vulnerability in LXD allows an attacker to achieve root command execution on the host system. During the import or unpacking of crafted image or backup archives, LXD fails to properly validate and confine the backup.yaml file when it exists as a symbolic link. An attacker can exploit this flaw by providing a malicious archive with a symlinked backup.yaml file, causing LXD to process unconfined configuration metadata and execute arbitrary commands with root privileges.
This vulnerability carries a CRITICAL severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.9, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from canonical organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
Reported in 2026, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.
2026-08-12T20:17:47.187
2026-09-11T15:11:30.647
Analyzed
CVSSv3.1: 9.9 (CRITICAL)
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version/Range | Vulnerable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application | canonical | lxd | < 4.0.12 | Yes |
| Application | canonical | lxd | < 5.0.8 | Yes |
| Application | canonical | lxd | < 5.21.6 | Yes |
| Application | canonical | lxd | < 6.10 | Yes |
SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For canonical's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.