Authorization Flaw in github.com/distribution/distribution/v3 (CVE-2026-41888)
Summary
Vulnerability in github.com/distribution/distribution/v3 (CVE-2026-41888). Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure. Exploitable via DELETE /v2/. Mitigation: upgrade to 3.1.1 or later.
Original description
The description as published by the source.
Distribution is a toolkit to pack, ship, store, and deliver container content. Prior to 3.1.1, tag deletion via the DELETE /v2//manifests/ endpoint bypasses the storage.delete.enabled: false configuration, allowing any API client to remove tags from repositories even when the operator has explicitly disabled deletion. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.1.1.
Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database NVD GitHub Advisory
Auto-generated summary
Assembled by SecPulse from the source data (CVSS, CWE, affected versions) using templates — no AI involved. Check the original description and references below for exact details.
A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-41888 has been found in github.com/distribution/distribution/v3.
Attackers can target a specific entry point like DELETE /v2/ over the network to misuse the product.
Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure. CVSS score: 6.5/10.
What to do: upgrade github.com/distribution/distribution/v3 to 3.1.1 or later.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "github.com/distribution/distribution/v3 CVE-2026-41888" on the vendor's site.
CVE-2026-41888 (github.com/distribution/distribution/v3) — CWE-863 / CVSS v3 6.5
Attack vector: remote (network-reachable) / unauthenticated / no user interaction
Attack surface: DELETE /v2/ / storage.delete.enabled / DeleteManifest / registry.deleteEnabled
Patched: 3.1.1 — apply immediately
Plan: 1) Audit SBOM/dependencies, 2) Stage→prod upgrade, 3) Add WAF/proxy monitoring on affected endpoints, 4) Hunt IOCs in logs.
Refs: see the GHSA / vendor advisory / patched release linked on this page.
Incorrect authorization (CWE-863) exists in github.com/distribution/distribution/v3. Attackers reach the vulnerable code path via DELETE /v2/ without authentication.
Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of github.com/distribution/distribution/v3. Attack surface: DELETE /v2/ / storage.delete.enabled / DeleteManifest / registry.deleteEnabled.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 6.5/10). Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure.
Update to 3.1.1.
Until the patch is applied: disable the affected feature, apply WAF rules, or restrict access via network ACLs.
Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual DELETE /v2/ requests with malformed payloads or SQL meta-characters. Run grep -r 'github.com/distribution/distribution/v3' . against your dependency files (package-lock.json, requirements.txt, go.sum) to find affected services.
Response actions
Concrete steps and command examples for SOC/SRE teams to execute in order
-
1Identify exposure identify
grep -r 'github.com/distribution/distribution/v3' . | grep -v node_modulesリポジトリと本番環境の依存ファイル (package-lock.json / requirements.txt / go.sum / Gemfile.lock 等) で
github.com/distribution/distribution/v3を grep し、稼働しているサービス・バージョンを把握する。 -
2Hunt for indicators of compromise detect
grep 'DELETE /v2/' /var/log/nginx/access.log | grep -E '(unusual_payload|sqli_pattern)'アクセスログで
DELETE /v2/への異常なリクエスト (不正な認証ヘッダ・SQLメタ文字)を過去 30〜90日分捜索。WAF/SIEM があれば該当パスのアラート発火履歴を確認。 -
3Apply patch patch
Upgrade github.com/distribution/distribution/v3 to 3.1.1ステージング環境で 3.1.1 に上げて回帰テスト → 本番反映。回帰テストはアプリの主要ハッピーパスと、Step 2 で見つけた異常検知の続報チェックを含めること。
-
4Post-deployment verification verify
Replay attack against DELETE /v2/ on staging to confirm patch closes the vectorパッチ適用後、ステージングで PoC または同等の悪用パターンを再現して脆弱性が閉じたことを確認。本番では Step 2 と同じログクエリでアラート再発が無いか継続監視。
Affected packages
Fix status by distribution
Fixed packages published by each distribution for this CVE
- Debian DEBIAN-CVE-2026-41888 docker-registry
- Ubuntu UBUNTU-CVE-2026-41888 docker-registry
References
- advisory github.com
- package github.com
- web nvd.nist.gov
- web github.com