Path traversal in LXD btrfs storage driver allows arbitrary file deletion and write on host as root (CVE-2026-85185) | HOL Guard CVE

Critical · CVSS 9.6CVE-2026-85185

Path traversal in LXD btrfs storage driver allows arbitrary file deletion and write on host as root

Answer in brief

CVE-2026-85185 records a Critical severity (CVSS 9.6) vulnerability in Path traversal in LXD btrfs storage driver allows arbitrary file deletion and write on host as root. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps Canonical/LXD (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Analysis pending evidence review

HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.

Published Sep 28, 2026Updated Sep 28, 2026Source checked Sep 28, 2026First seen by HOL Sep 28, 2026Material review Sep 28, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: Critical · CVSS 9.6
Exploitation: Not marked as known exploited
Affected software: 1 mapped package or product
Fix availability: Available

Why this deserves its current priority

CVSS is 9.6. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.

Analysis status

Analysis pending evidence review

Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.

Affected scope and exposure questions

The current feed maps Canonical/LXD (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
Canonical/LXDgeneric	>=4.0.2 <4.0.14 \|\| >=5.0.0 <5.0.10 \|\| >=5.21.0 <5.21.8 \|\| >=6.0 <6.10	4.0.14, 5.0.10, 5.21.8, 6.10

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for Canonical/LXD.
Review the reported fix. Source-reported solution: Upgrade to LXD versions 4.0.14, 5.0.10, 5.21.8, 6.10 or later.

Evidence timeline and material changes

Published upstream
Sep 28, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
Source modified
Sep 28, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
First seen by HOL
Sep 28, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

GitHub security advisorygithub.com

Upstream source description

Path traversal in the btrfs storage driver in Canonical LXD versions 4.0.2 and later (fixed in 4.0.14, 5.0.10, 5.21.8 and 6.10) on Linux allows an authenticated client with permission to create instances in a project to delete arbitrary files on the host as root. On hosts whose root filesystem is btrfs, the client can also place attacker-controlled content at arbitrary host paths, leading to full host compromise. The client does this with a crafted subvolume path containing ../ sequences, sent in either of two ways: in the optimized_header.yaml of an optimized btrfs backup, or in the btrfs migration header sent by a malicious migration source.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.