CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-79994NVD status: Awaiting Analysis

Docker Sandboxes: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-79994 is a high-severity time-of-check time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition vulnerability in Docker Sandboxes from Docker, with a CVSS 4.0 base score of 8.7 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. The record lists version 0.42.0 as the first without the flaw, so updating Docker Sandboxes to that release or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.14% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Docker Sandboxes to 0.42.0 or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
DockerDocker Sandboxes0.37.0 up to, but not including, 0.42.00.42.0

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Attack requirements
PresentThe target must be in a specific state or configuration for the attack to work.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Confidentiality (vulnerable system)
HighSerious loss of confidentiality on the vulnerable system.
Integrity (vulnerable system)
HighSerious loss of integrity on the vulnerable system.
Availability (vulnerable system)
NoneNo loss of availability on the vulnerable system.
Confidentiality (other systems)
HighSerious loss of confidentiality on systems beyond the vulnerable one.
Integrity (other systems)
HighSerious loss of integrity on systems beyond the vulnerable one.
Availability (other systems)
NoneNo loss of availability on systems beyond the vulnerable one.

Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X. Scored by CNA (docker.com).

Official description

The guest-to-host Unix-domain socket relay in Docker Sandboxes validates that a socket path is inside an authorized workspace, but later reconnects using the pathname. A malicious guest can replace an intermediate directory with a symlink between validation and connection, causing the host to connect to an arbitrary AF_UNIX socket outside the shared workspace. This can expose data or host-side capabilities provided by the targeted socket.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition

The product checks the state of a resource before using that resource, but the resource's state can change between the check and the use in a way that invalidates the results of the check.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • The most basic advice for TOCTOU vulnerabilities is to not perform a check before the use. This does not resolve the underlying issue of the execution of a function on a resource whose state and identity cannot be assured, but it does help to limit the false sense of security given by the check.
  • When the file being altered is owned by the current user and group, set the effective gid and uid to that of the current user and group when executing this statement.
  • Limit the interleaving of operations on files from multiple processes.

More Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition vulnerabilities (CWE-367)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in Docker Sandboxes

All Docker Sandboxes vulnerabilities

Recent Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition vulnerabilities

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