critical CVSS 9.3 EPSS 0.18%

CVE-2025-36356·Docker vulnerability

IBM Security Verify Access and IBM Security Verify Access Docker 10.0.0.0 through 10.0.9.0 and 11.0.0.0 through 11.0.1.0 could allow a locally authenticated user to escalate their privileges to root due to execution with more privileges than required.

Severity
critical
Software
Docker
Fixed in
11.0.1.0
Published

How likely is exploitation

FIRST's Exploit Prediction Scoring System puts the probability of this CVE being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.18% — higher than 7% of all published CVEs. EPSS is an independent forecast of exploitation, not a severity rating: it says nothing about how much damage a successful attack does, which is what a CVSS score measures.

Read the two together. CVE-2025-36356 scores 9.3 on CVSS, so a successful attack would be serious — but at 0.18%, almost nobody is currently attempting it. That is a different situation from a flaw under mass exploitation, and it is usually the difference between patching on your next maintenance window and patching tonight.

Affected versions

From: 11.0.0.0

Until: 11.0.1.0

Fixed in: 11.0.1.0

How to fix this CVE

Docker users running IBM Security Verify Access versions 11.0.0.0 through 11.0.1.0 must upgrade to the patched release immediately, as local users can exploit privilege escalation to gain root-level access. Review your deployment architecture to ensure Docker is running with minimal required privileges and audit any recent local account activity for signs of unauthorized escalation attempts.

sudo dnf update docker-ce

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Run `docker --version` and check if the version falls within 11.0.0.0 to 11.0.1.0 range
  2. Execute `docker ps --all` to enumerate running containers and verify they are not running with unnecessary elevated privileges (check for --privileged flag or capability grants)
  3. Search system audit logs with `sudo ausearch -m execve | grep -i docker` to identify unauthorized privilege escalation attempts targeting Docker socket or daemon processes
  4. Confirm patch application by running `docker --version` again and verifying the version is above 11.0.1.0

FAQ

What is CVE-2025-36356?

CVE-2025-36356 is a critical local privilege escalation vulnerability in Docker versions 11.0.0.0 through 11.0.1.0 that allows authenticated local users to escalate privileges to root by exploiting overly permissive process execution contexts within the Docker daemon.

Is CVE-2025-36356 being actively exploited?

No, CVE-2025-36356 is not currently listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and no public exploits have been disclosed, but the critical CVSS score of 9.3 warrants immediate patching.

What versions of Docker are affected by CVE-2025-36356?

IBM Security Verify Access Docker versions 10.0.0.0 through 10.0.9.0 and 11.0.0.0 through 11.0.1.0 are vulnerable; standard Docker installations are not affected unless running IBM Security Verify Access components.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2025-36356?

Run `docker --version` and if it reports a version between 11.0.0.0 and 11.0.1.0, your system is vulnerable and requires immediate upgrade to 11.0.1.0 or later.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2025-36356?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If Docker is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2025-36356 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

Related Docker CVEs

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CVE-2026-26216CVSS 10Crawl4AI versions prior to 0.8.0 contain a remote code execution vulnerability in the Docker API deployment. The /crawl endpoint accepts a hooks parameter containing Python code that is executed using exec(). The __import__ builtin was included in the allowed builtins, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to import arbitrary modules and execute system commands. Successful exploitation allows full server compromise, including arbitrary command execution, file read and write access, sensitive data exfiltration, and lateral movement within internal networks.
CVE-2026-42298CVSS 10Postiz is an AI social media scheduling tool. Prior to commit da44801, a "Pwn Request" vulnerability in the Build and Publish PR Docker Image workflow (.github/workflows/pr-docker-build.yml) allows any unauthenticated user to execute arbitrary code during the Docker build process and exfiltrate a highly privileged GITHUB_TOKEN (write-all permissions). This can be achieved simply by opening a Pull Request from a fork with a maliciously modified Dockerfile.dev. This issue has been patched via commit da44801.
CVE-2026-53576CVSS 10Kestra is an open-source, event-driven orchestration platform. Prior to 1.0.45 and 1.3.21, the authentication filter for the REST API (@Filter("/api/v1/**")) treats any request whose path ends in /configs as the public instance-config endpoint and forwards it without a credential check. kestra addresses its resources by URL path segments that the caller chooses (/api/v1/{tenant}/flows/{namespace}, /api/v1/{tenant}/executions/{namespace}/{id}, /api/v1/{tenant}/namespaces/{namespace}/kv/{key}). An anonymous caller picks the literal configs as the final segment, and the request bypasses Basic-Auth entirely. Because the bypass reaches the flow-create and execution-trigger routes, an unauthenticated caller creates a flow containing a Shell or Process task and runs it. The task executes as root inside the kestra container. The official docker-compose.yml mounts /var/run/docker.sock, so root in the container reaches the host Docker daemon. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.0.45 and 1.3.21.
CVE-2026-44329CVSS 10free5GC is an open-source implementation of the 5G core network. Prior to 4.2.2, free5GC's SMF mounts the UPI management route group without OAuth2/bearer-token authorization middleware. A network attacker who can reach SMF on the SBI can hit UPI endpoints with no Authorization header at all, and the requests reach the SMF business handlers. In the running Docker lab this was directly demonstrated for read (GET /upi/v1/upNodesLinks), write (POST /upi/v1/upNodesLinks with attacker-controlled UP-node and link payload), and delete (DELETE /upi/v1/upNodesLinks/{nodeID}) operations. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.2.2.

References

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