CVE-2026-33945
CWE-22Published: March 27, 2026· Updated: Apr 1, 2026
Official Description
Incus is a system container and virtual machine manager. Incus instances have an option to provide credentials to systemd in the guest. For containers, this is handled through a shared directory. Prior to version 6.23.0, an attacker can set a configuration key named something like `systemd.credential.../../../../../../root/.bashrc` to cause Incus to write outside of the `credentials` directory associated with the container. This makes use of the fact that the Incus syntax for such credentials is `systemd.credential.XYZ` where `XYZ` can itself contain more periods. While it's not possible to read any data this way, it's possible to write to arbitrary files as root, enabling both privilege escalation and denial of service attacks. Version 6.23.0 fixes the issue.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-33945 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.
Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
A successful exploit results in full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.6.
The vulnerability has a "Changed" scope, meaning successful exploitation can impact components beyond the vulnerable component itself — such as the host operating system or adjacent services.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
Official Patches & Advisories
All References (1)
Quick Facts
Related CVEs (CWE-22)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2026-33945 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts