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Kata Containers

INFRA · APIS
Velocity5.0

Secure container runtime using lightweight virtual machines

katacontainers.io ↗

Kata Containers 4.3 fixes a guest-to-host escape and tightens annotation handling.

confidential-computingcontainer-runtimesgpusecurity-fixeskubernetes
◆Current state
Kata Containers ships monthly, and 4.3.0 (October 21) carries two security fixes: a permissive annotation allowlist that could cause unintended host and guest changes (CVSS 7.9, existing installs need a config review) and out-of-bounds access in Dragonball virtio drivers that allowed guest-to-host escape (CVSS 6.4). The same release restricts containerd pod annotations, bumps the guest kernel to 6.18.52 and ships more NVIDIA GPU runtime components. 4.3.1 followed the same day with eMudhra certificate exclusion.
◆Where it's heading
Since the Rust runtime became the default in 4.0, releases have gone to GPU packaging, kata-deploy's move to a job-based deployment mode and policy hardening in genpolicy. 4.2.0 moved the rootfs to Ubuntu 26.04 and passed QEMU block and VFIO devices by file descriptor; 4.3.0 continues with rootless VMM provisioning and guest-pulled image verification.
◆Prediction
4.4.0 should land around November 17, given the documented target of the first Tuesday after the 15th. Expect more NVIDIA GPU packaging work, a thread in 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3.

◆Recent moves

  1. 19d ago

    4.3.1: eMudhra certificates excluded from guest images

    A same-day patch excluding the distrusted eMudhra certificates and using the uncompressed kernel for NVIDIA CPU configs. Housekeeping after 4.3.0.

    View source ↗
  2. 19d ago

    4.3.0: guest-to-host escape and annotation allowlist fixed

    Two security fixes, one a Dragonball guest-to-host escape and one an annotation allowlist that requires operators to review existing installs. Around them sit rootless VMM provisioning, guest-pulled image verification and a 6.18.52 guest kernel.

    View source ↗
  3. 1mo ago

    4.2.0: Ubuntu 26.04 rootfs and fd-passed QEMU devices

    The rootfs moves to Ubuntu 26.04, runtime-rs passes QEMU block and VFIO devices by file descriptor, and kata-deploy switches to job mode by default. kata-monitor gains TLS and GPU images ship dcgm-exporter.

    View source ↗
  4. 2mo ago

    4.1.0 splits release tarballs and slims the NVIDIA GPU extension

    The first release after the Rust runtime default, spent on packaging and accelerators: the static tarball splits by runtime, the GPU extension builds without the monolithic image, NVIDIA libraries are chiselled from a filelist, and Dragonball's three network device managers merge into one. Consolidation rather than direction.

    View source ↗
  5. 3mo ago

    4.0.0 makes the Rust runtime-rs the default runtime

    ⚡ SPARK

    4.0.0 made the Rust runtime-rs the default across every supported architecture and hypervisor, completing a handover the 3.2x series had been staging release by release. Everything since has been built on top of that decision.

    View source ↗
  6. 4mo ago

    3.32.0 adds TDX ACPI boot, guest memfd and QEMU NUMA support

    3.32.0 added TDX ACPI boot, guest memfd and QEMU NUMA support — confidential-computing plumbing landing alongside the runtime-rs commits that were quietly staging the 4.0.0 handover.

    View source ↗