CVE-2026-33414 is a medium-severity OS command injection vulnerability in github.com/containers/podman/v4 (go), affecting versions >= 4.8.0, <= 4.9.5. It is fixed in 5.8.2.
Summary A command injection vulnerability exists in Podman's HyperV machine backend. The VM image path is inserted into a PowerShell double-quoted string without sanitization, allowing $() subexpression injection. Affected Code File: pkg/machine/hyperv/stubber.go:647 Root Cause PowerShell evaluates $() subexpressions inside double-quoted strings before executing the outer command. The fmt.Sprintf call places the user-controlled image path directly into double quotes without escaping or sanitization. Impact An attacker who can control the VM image path (through a crafted machine name or image directory) can execute arbitrary PowerShell commands with the privileges of the Podman process on the Windows host. On typical Windows installations, this means SYSTEM-level code execution. Patch https://github.com/containers/podman/commit/571c842bd357ee626019ea97d030fb772fc654ed The affected code is only used on Windows, all other operating systems are not affected by this and can thus ignore the CVE patch. Credit We like to thank Sang-Hoon Choi (@KoreaSecurity) for reporting this issue to us.
Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host. Typical impact: code execution in the application's environment.
CVE-2026-33414 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment.
A fixed version is available (5.8.2). Upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
go
github.com/containers/podman/v4 (>= 4.8.0, <= 4.9.5)github.com/containers/podman/v5 (<= 5.8.1)github.com/containers/podman/v5 → 5.8.2 (go)Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter instead of chasing every advisory.
Kodem's Application Detection and Response identifies whether CVE-2026-33414 is reachable in your applications. Explore runtime application protection for your team.
See if CVE-2026-33414 is reachable in your applications. Get a demo
Upgrade github.com/containers/podman/v5 to 5.8.2 or later to resolve this vulnerability.
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
CVE-2026-33414 is a medium-severity OS command injection vulnerability in github.com/containers/podman/v4 (go), affecting versions >= 4.8.0, <= 4.9.5. It is fixed in 5.8.2. Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host.
CVE-2026-33414 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
github.com/containers/podman/v4 (go) (versions >= 4.8.0, <= 4.9.5)github.com/containers/podman/v5 (go) (versions <= 5.8.1)Yes. CVE-2026-33414 is fixed in 5.8.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
Whether CVE-2026-33414 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
Upgrade github.com/containers/podman/v5 to 5.8.2 or later.