How severe is CVE-2020-27151?

CVE-2020-27151 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-27151 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (79th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-27151?

CVE-2020-27151 primarily affects Katacontainers Kata Containers. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-27151?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2020-27151 published?

CVE-2020-27151 was published on 2020-12-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-27151

CVE-2020-27151 is a high-severity vulnerability in Katacontainers Kata Containers with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.8)
CVSS v2: 9.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (79th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Affected product: Katacontainers Kata Containers
Published: 2020-12-07
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An issue was discovered in Kata Containers through 1.11.3 and 2.x through 2.0-rc1. The runtime will execute binaries given using annotations without any kind of validation. Someone who is granted access rights to a cluster will be able to have kata-runtime execute arbitrary binaries as root on the worker nodes.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-27151?: An issue was discovered in Kata Containers through 1.11.3 and 2.x through 2.0-rc1. The runtime will execute binaries given using annotations without any kind of validation. Someone who is granted access rights to a cluster will be able to have kata-runtime execute arbitrary binaries as root on the worker nodes.
How severe is CVE-2020-27151?: CVE-2020-27151 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-27151 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (79th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-27151?: CVE-2020-27151 primarily affects Katacontainers Kata Containers. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-27151?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2020-27151 published?: CVE-2020-27151 was published on 2020-12-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (6)

cpe:2.3:a:katacontainers:kata_containers:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:katacontainers:kata_containers:2.0.0:alpha1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:katacontainers:kata_containers:2.0.0:alpha2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:katacontainers:kata_containers:2.0.0:alpha3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:katacontainers:kata_containers:2.0.0:rc0:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:katacontainers:kata_containers:2.0.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*

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