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Critical · 9.9 CVE-2026-63294 EUVD-2026-57538

Root RCE via image backup.yaml symlink

Published Aug 12, 2026 · Updated Aug 13, 2026 · Assigned by canonical

Description

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.

Affected products

VendorProductAffectedFixed
Canonical LXD 4.0.0 – < 4.0.12, 5.0.0 – < 5.0.8, 5.21.0 – < 5.21.6, 6.0 – < 6.10 4.0.12

Fixed in Linux distributions

Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Debian 13 lxd No fix yet —
Debian 12 lxd No fix yet —
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS lxd No fix yet —
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS lxd No fix yet —
Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS lxd No fix yet —

References