Docker — Critical Docker Hub Flaw Fixed Allowing Registry Identity Spoofing (CVE-2026-105445)

Publication date: October 13, 2026
Category: Critical Vulnerabilities

Introduction

Docker has deployed a fix within its Docker Hub platform to address a critical security flaw that remained active for over two years, impacting the mechanism used to convert personal accounts into organizations. The vulnerability, formally tracked as CVE-2026-105445, allowed an authenticated attacker to transfer personal access tokens (PATs) under their control to a designated target user appointed as the organization owner, while leaving the token secret entirely unchanged. This attack vector enabled unauthorized read, write, and delete operations across external repositories under a legitimate publisher identity. The flaw was discovered and reported by security researchers Peter Molnar and Krisztian Hozak, prompting Docker to deploy a centralized server-side fix on September 30, 2026.

What is CVE-2026-105445? (General Analysis)

The affected component is Docker Hub’s identity and access management subsystem, specifically the feature designed to convert a personal account into an organization retaining the same name.

  • NVD Data (CONFIRMED FACTS):
    • CVE ID: CVE-2026-105445
    • CVSS Score and Severity: 9.4 (CRITICAL, CVSS v4.0)
    • Official CVSS Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H
    • Official CWE Classification: CWE-266 (Incorrect Privilege Assignment)
    • CISA KEV Catalog: Not reported

The vulnerability is categorized as an incorrect privilege assignment flaw. Because the cryptographic secret of the personal access token was neither rotated nor revoked when ownership of the converted account changed, the token inherited the security context of the new target owner within the container registry. This introduced severe supply chain risks by allowing malicious injection or tampering of container images under trusted publisher names.

How Does It Work? (Technical Analysis)

An analysis of the execution flow reveals a logical deficiency in API credential lifecycle management inside Docker Hub:

  • Initial Setup and Token Creation: An attacker generates a personal access token (PAT) within an account under their full administrative control, configuring specific read, write, or delete permissions for the registry.
  • Conversion Feature Abuse: The attacker initiates the process to convert their personal account into an organization, arbitrarily assigning a legitimate victim as the organization’s owner.
  • Privilege Reassignment and Persistence: During conversion, the platform updates internal records, associating the existing PAT with the new owner. Crucially, this process omits notifying or seeking consent from the affected user and preserves the token’s original secret string.
  • Unauthorized Registry Access: Using the unmodified token, the attacker authenticates directly against the Docker Hub registry operating under the target user’s permission scope, allowing them to push, pull, and delete images across repositories accessible to the victim, including associated organization namespaces.

“The vulnerability allowed a personal access token originally issued in an attacker-controlled account to be silently reassigned to a new organization owner, inheriting their registry privilege context without requiring secret rotation.”

Affected Systems / Environments

Impacted environments correspond exclusively to Docker Hub accounts that underwent personal-to-organization conversions between August 26, 2024, and September 30, 2026.

CVE Category (CWE) Impact CVSS Vector (Summary)
CVE-2026-105445 CWE-266 (Incorrect Privilege Assignment) Critical (Complete Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability impact within registry scope) 9.4 CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H
  • Affected Platform: Docker Hub (cloud-native SaaS architecture). No local user updates or patches are required, as remediation was enforced directly on Docker’s backend servers.

Mitigation and Detection

Remediation

  • Credential Review: Users who received notifications from Docker on October 2, 2026, must audit their personal access tokens via Account settings > Personal access tokens.
  • Rotation and Revocation: Immediately revoke any unrecognized or suspicious tokens, or those not matching known creation timelines.
  • Adoption of Organization Tokens: For corporate CI/CD pipelines and automation workflows, migrate away from individual PATs and adopt managed Organization access tokens (available on Docker Team and Docker Business tiers).

Detection

  • Activity Log Auditing: Organization administrators with eligible subscriptions should review past Activity logs for pushed tags associated with unfamiliar tokens or anomalous build executions.
  • Image Signature Verification: Cross-reference published container images against legitimate CI/CD build histories to ensure artifact integrity.
bash 
# Example inspecting image metadata and origin history in Docker Hub
docker inspect <image_name:tag>

Wrapping Up

Docker’s remediation of CVE-2026-105445 marks a critical milestone in securing container registries by eliminating a two-year-old identity spoofing vector. Although Docker’s exhaustive forensic audits found no evidence of active malicious exploitation and proactively deactivated transferred tokens, the incident highlights the vital need for strict credential governance, transparent account conversion workflows, and continuous software supply chain monitoring in cloud-native ecosystems.

References