CVE-2026-40195: CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference in lxc incus
Incus is a system container and virtual machine manager. In versions before 7.0.0, missing validation logic in the storage bucket import logic allows an authenticated user with access to the storage bucket feature to cause the Incus daemon to crash. The vulnerability is present in the backup metadata handling logic, where the daemon processes the index.yaml file from an imported archive and accesses members of the parsed backup configuration without first verifying that the configuration object was initialized. A malicious or malformed index.yaml that omits the config block causes a nil-pointer dereference during bucket import operations and terminates the daemon. Repeated use of this issue can be used to keep Incus offline, causing a denial of service. This issue is fixed in version 7.0.0.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
Incus versions before 7.0.0 contain a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability (CWE-476) in the backup metadata handling during storage bucket import. Specifically, the daemon processes the index.yaml file from an imported archive without verifying that the backup configuration object is initialized. If the config block is missing or malformed, this leads to a nil-pointer dereference and daemon termination. An authenticated user with access to the storage bucket feature can exploit this to repeatedly crash the daemon, causing denial of service. The vulnerability is addressed in Incus version 7.0.0.
Potential Impact
An authenticated user with storage bucket access can cause the Incus daemon to crash by importing a specially crafted backup archive with a malformed index.yaml file. This results in a denial of service by keeping the daemon offline. There is no indication of privilege escalation, data corruption, or remote code execution from the provided data.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade Incus to version 7.0.0 or later, where this vulnerability is fixed. Patch status is not explicitly confirmed beyond the fix in version 7.0.0, so users should verify with the vendor advisory for the latest remediation guidance. Until upgraded, restrict access to the storage bucket feature to trusted users only to reduce risk.
CVE-2026-40195: CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference in lxc incus
Description
Incus is a system container and virtual machine manager. In versions before 7.0.0, missing validation logic in the storage bucket import logic allows an authenticated user with access to the storage bucket feature to cause the Incus daemon to crash. The vulnerability is present in the backup metadata handling logic, where the daemon processes the index.yaml file from an imported archive and accesses members of the parsed backup configuration without first verifying that the configuration object was initialized. A malicious or malformed index.yaml that omits the config block causes a nil-pointer dereference during bucket import operations and terminates the daemon. Repeated use of this issue can be used to keep Incus offline, causing a denial of service. This issue is fixed in version 7.0.0.
CVSS v4.0
Score 7.1high
Affected software
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Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
Incus versions before 7.0.0 contain a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability (CWE-476) in the backup metadata handling during storage bucket import. Specifically, the daemon processes the index.yaml file from an imported archive without verifying that the backup configuration object is initialized. If the config block is missing or malformed, this leads to a nil-pointer dereference and daemon termination. An authenticated user with access to the storage bucket feature can exploit this to repeatedly crash the daemon, causing denial of service. The vulnerability is addressed in Incus version 7.0.0.
Potential Impact
An authenticated user with storage bucket access can cause the Incus daemon to crash by importing a specially crafted backup archive with a malformed index.yaml file. This results in a denial of service by keeping the daemon offline. There is no indication of privilege escalation, data corruption, or remote code execution from the provided data.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade Incus to version 7.0.0 or later, where this vulnerability is fixed. Patch status is not explicitly confirmed beyond the fix in version 7.0.0, so users should verify with the vendor advisory for the latest remediation guidance. Until upgraded, restrict access to the storage bucket feature to trusted users only to reduce risk.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- GitHub_M
- Date Reserved
- 2026-04-09T20:59:17.620Z
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 69fba9cccbff5d86105e9c2f
Added to database: 05/06/2026, 20:51:24 UTC
Last enriched: 05/14/2026, 03:49:20 UTC
Last updated: 07/31/2026, 19:22:58 UTC
Views: 104
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