VulnerabilityPublished 26 Jun 2026Updated 4 Nov 2026

CVE-2026-13322: github.com/kubevirt/kubevirt · KubeVirt downward metrics virtio-serial server vulnerable to unbounded memory consumption

Affects github.com/kubevirt/kubevirtSource GCVE Database

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Authoritative record:CVE-2026-13322· Low 3.8

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 3.8 Low · fixed in 1.10.0 : update github.com/kubevirt/kubevirt when convenient.

Data as of 4 Nov 2026, 18:30 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

3.8Low

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

Patch: Available – fixed in 1.10.0

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:L

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Changed
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: Low

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Changed: An exploited vulnerability can affect resources beyond the security scope managed by the security authority of the vulnerable component. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are different and managed by different security authorities.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 26 Jun 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 4 Nov 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Gogithub.com/kubevirt/kubevirt	Affected >=1.1.0-alpha.0 <=1.10.0-rc.0	Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

A fix is available in versions after 1.10.0-rc.0. Clusters not using the downward metrics virtio-serial device are not exposed. Administrators should restrict the ability to configure downward metrics devices on tenant VMs using admission webhooks or policy controllers such as Gatekeeper/OPA to reduce exposure. Recovery from an attack involves deleting the offending VirtualMachineInstance, after which virt-handler resumes normal operation on restart.

Description

CVE-2026-13322 is a vulnerability in KubeVirt's downward metrics virtio-serial server where the server reads guest requests without length limits or read deadlines, allowing a VM guest user to cause unbounded memory allocation in the virt-handler process. This can lead to the virt-handler being OOM-killed, disrupting management operations on the affected node. The vulnerability requires explicit configuration of the downward metrics virtio-serial device and is limited in scope to the node running the affected virt-handler pod. The impact is low as running VM workloads continue unaffected and recovery is possible by deleting the offending VirtualMachineInstance.

Impact

The vulnerability allows a local attacker with access to a VM guest configured with the downward metrics virtio-serial device to cause unbounded memory consumption in the virt-handler process, resulting in an OOM kill of the virt-handler pod. This disrupts management operations on the affected node, such as live migration, graceful shutdown, and monitoring updates. However, the node kernel, kubelet, and running VM workloads remain unaffected. The attack surface is limited to explicitly configured downward metrics devices, and the impact is confined to a single node. Recovery is straightforward by deleting the offending VirtualMachineInstance.

CWE-770Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighCWE Top 25 (2025): #25
The product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated.
Requirements
Clearly specify the minimum and maximum expectations for capabilities, and dictate which behaviors are acceptable when resource allocation reaches limits.
Architecture and Design
Limit the amount of resources that are accessible to unprivileged users. Set per-user limits for resources. Allow the system administrator to define these limits. Be careful to avoid CWE-410.
Architecture and Design
Design throttling mechanisms into the system architecture. The best protection is to limit the amount of resources that an unauthorized user can cause to be expended.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Abuse Case (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
V13.4.1 (opens in a new tab)
V11.1.4 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
XML Ping of the Death (opens in a new tab)
Exponential Data Expansion (opens in a new tab)
Serialized Data Parameter Blowup (opens in a new tab)
Serialized Data with Nested Payloads (opens in a new tab)
Oversized Serialized Data Payloads (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 4 Nov 2026, 18:30 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-770

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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