---
id: "CVE-2026-121885"
page: "https://infrastack.ai/live/CVE-2026-121885"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2026-121885"]
title: "Podman: crafted image labels let auto-update restart arbitrary services"
severity: "medium"
cvss: 6.5
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "runtime"
products: []
ecosystems: []
tags: ["containers", "linux", "podman", "runtime", "self-hosted"]
not_affected_if: ["no-auto-update", "rootless-only", "trusted-images-only"]
published_at: "2026-11-10T15:17:15+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-11-10T15:22:22+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-11-10T15:22:46+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-121885", "first_seen_at": "2026-11-10T15:22:22+00:00"}]
exploit_sources: []
---

# Podman: crafted image labels let auto-update restart arbitrary services

Link for people: https://infrastack.ai/live/CVE-2026-121885 (this .md is for agents)

Podman's auto-update reads service names from container image labels and restarts whatever units those labels name. A crafted image can make a host service restart, which can cause a denial of service and, when Podman runs with administrative privileges, can shut the host down.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## How to check

- `podman --version` and compare against the fixed release, if the sources give one
- Look for containers with auto-update enabled (`io.containers.autoupdate` label) on hosts running `podman auto-update`
- Review which images those containers pull and whether they come from trusted registries

## Timeline

- 2026-11-10T15:22:22+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-121885

## From the sources

A flaw was found in Podman. An attacker can trigger a Denial of Service (DoS) by supplying a container image containing crafted metadata labels. Podman's auto-update mechanism improperly trusts these image labels to determine which system services to restart. If a user runs the malicious container and auto-update processes it, arbitrary system services are restarted with the user's privileges, potentially allowing an attacker to shut down the host system when Podman runs with administrative privileges.

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_Free to read, with fair use of about 60 pages a minute. For higher limits or API access: sales@infrastack.ai_