CVE-2026-44778 in Inspektor Gadget
Summary
by MITRE • 09/15/2026
Inspektor Gadget is a set of tools and framework for data collection and system inspection on Kubernetes clusters and Linux hosts using eBPF. From 0.28.0 until 0.53.1, the USDT note parser in pkg/uprobetracer/usdt.go can allow an unprivileged container to crash or exhaust the memory of the privileged Inspektor Gadget process when a custom gadget containing a SEC("usdt/...") eBPF section attaches to a crafted ELF binary. The getUsdtInfo() function reads the .note.stapsdt section without validating that DescSize is large enough for three address fields, allowing an out-of-bounds slice operation to panic, and it uses untrusted NameSize and DescSize values for allocations that can consume gigabytes of memory. The parser also invokes debug/elf without panic recovery, allowing other malformed ELF structures to terminate the process. No gadget shipped by Inspektor Gadget uses USDT probes, so only deployments using custom USDT gadgets are affected, and the demonstrated impact is denial of service rather than code execution or privilege escalation. This issue is fixed in version 0.53.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2026
The vulnerability identified within Inspektor Gadget versions ranging from 0.28.0 to 0.53.1 represents a critical security flaw rooted in the insufficient validation of input data during the parsing of User Space Defined Tracing, or USDT, notes. Inspektor Gadget is widely utilized for collecting system-level telemetry and inspecting Kubernetes clusters through eBPF technology, which inherently requires elevated privileges to operate effectively. The specific defect resides within the pkg/uprobetracer/usdt.go module, where the getUsdtInfo function processes ELF binary structures without adequate bounds checking or size validation. This lack of rigorous input sanitization creates a pathway for an unprivileged container to interact with the privileged Inspektor Gadget process in a manner that compromises system stability and resource integrity.
From a technical perspective, the core issue involves two distinct failure modes within the USDT note parser. First, the function fails to verify that the DescSize field is sufficiently large to accommodate three address fields before attempting an out-of-bounds slice operation. This logical error triggers a panic in the Go runtime, effectively crashing the privileged process handling the eBPF attachment. Second, and potentially more severe from a resource exhaustion standpoint, the parser utilizes untrusted values for NameSize and DescSize directly as parameters for memory allocation requests. An attacker can craft an ELF binary with artificially inflated size fields, causing the privileged Inspektor Gadget agent to allocate gigabytes of RAM in response. This behavior leads to rapid memory consumption on the host node, resulting in a denial of service that impacts not only the gadget process but potentially other workloads sharing the same resource pool.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is primarily classified as a Denial of Service rather than code execution or privilege escalation. Because no official gadgets shipped with Inspektor Gadget utilize USDT probes, the attack surface is limited to deployments that have integrated custom-built eBPF programs containing SEC(usdt/...) sections. However, for organizations running such custom instrumentation, an unprivileged container can exploit this flaw by attaching a crafted ELF binary to trigger either the panic-induced crash or the memory exhaustion scenario. This effectively disrupts system monitoring capabilities and can destabilize the underlying Kubernetes node, leading to potential pod evictions or cluster instability depending on resource constraints and configuration policies.
In terms of industry standard classifications, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-125 Out-of-bounds Read due to the slice operation panic caused by insufficient bounds checking against DescSize. Additionally, it relates to CWE-789 Uncontrolled Memory Allocation because the application allocates memory based on untrusted input values without validating them against reasonable limits or system constraints. From a threat modeling perspective using MITRE ATT&CK techniques, this flaw facilitates Denial of Service via resource exhaustion and potentially impacts Availability by crashing critical monitoring infrastructure components. The attack vector is categorized as Local with Low Complexity, requiring the attacker to have access to an unprivileged container that can interact with the eBPF subsystem or trigger the gadget execution path.
Mitigation strategies must focus on immediate patching and architectural safeguards. The primary remediation is to upgrade Inspektor Gadget to version 0.53.1 or later, where these validation checks have been implemented to prevent out-of-bounds access and uncontrolled memory allocation. For environments that cannot immediately update due to compatibility constraints, it is imperative to audit all custom eBPF gadgets for the use of USDT probes and restrict their deployment if possible. Furthermore, implementing strict resource quotas and limits on Kubernetes nodes can mitigate the impact of memory exhaustion attacks by capping the maximum memory a single process or pod group can consume. Network policies should also be reviewed to ensure that untrusted containers cannot easily interact with privileged monitoring agents unless explicitly authorized through rigorous security controls such as Pod Security Standards or OPA Gatekeeper policies.