CVE-2023-0778: A Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) flaw was found in podman

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MEDIUM 6.8WATCHLISTMITIGATEMITIGATE

CVE-2023-0778 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 6.8) affecting podman, enterprise linux. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

A Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) flaw was found in podman. This issue may allow a malicious user to replace a normal file in a volume with a symlink while exporting the volume, allowing for access to arbitrary files on the host file system.

Why this priority

On your watchlist

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	6.8 (Medium)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	High
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.5% (top 55%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-367
Published	2023-03-27
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): Red Hat, Inc. · Vendor: podman project · redhat

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2023-03-27 21:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 05:26 UTCUpdated Record last modified

podman project podman MITIGATE

Affected: all versions

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy podman || rpm -q podman || podman --version

No fixed or unaffected release known

Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory, disable the affected feature, or restrict network access.

redhat enterprise linux MITIGATE

Affected: 8.0 · 9.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 8.0

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2023-0778?

podman: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation; enterprise linux: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2023-0778 being exploited?

CVE-2023-0778 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2023-0778 affect?

CVE-2023-0778 affects podman, enterprise linux. Severity is medium (CVSS 6.8). A Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) flaw was found in podman. This issue may allow a malicious user to replace a normal file in a volume with a symlink while exporting the volume, allowing for access to arbitrary files on the host file sys

How urgent is CVE-2023-0778?

Priority 40/100. On your watchlist

Software pages

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References

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