CVE-2026-63293: Arbitrary File Read/Write: metadata.yaml symlink in image allows host filesystem access as root

Severity: critical (CVSS 9.9 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.6% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: yes
Published: 2026-08-12 · updated 2026-10-24
Weakness: CWE-59

Description

A link following vulnerability in LXD allows an attacker to achieve arbitrary file read and write operations on the host system. When importing or unpacking an image archive, LXD fails to validate whether the metadata.yaml file is a symbolic link. An attacker can exploit this flaw by providing a crafted image archive with a symlinked metadata.yaml file pointing to target file paths on the host system.

Affected products

Canonical LXD: from 4.0.0 before 4.0.12 — fixed in 4.0.12

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Canonical LXD 4.0.12. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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