Critical Docker Hub Vulnerability Let Attackers Impersonate Users Through Personal Access Tokens
Docker has disclosed a critical vulnerability in Docker Hub, tracked as CVE-2026-105445, that allowed attackers to access another user’s container repository using a personal access token (PAT).
Docker Hub is an online registry for storing, sharing, and downloading container images—templates that package everything needed to run applications in an isolated environment.
Docker Hub flaw allowed personal access token reassignment
In Docker Hub, a PAT is a secret used to authenticate tools and automated workflows. Depending on its permissions, a PAT can allow users and services to pull, push, or delete container images.
According to a Docker security bulletin, an attacker could create an account and PAT, convert the account into an organization, and designate a target user as the organization’s owner.
The vulnerability occurred because Docker Hub reassigned the personal access token to the specified organization owner without changing the secret or obtaining the target user’s consent. As a result, the attacker could use the unchanged token to authenticate as the target at the registry level.
Depending on the token’s scope and the target user’s privileges, an attacker could pull, push, or delete images in the target’s repository or in organizations accessible to the target.
“Within the scope of the token, the reassigned PAT acted as a target user at the registry level. This means the attacker could potentially pull, push, or delete images in the target’s repository or organization that the target has access to.”
Docker said the ability to publish images under authorized names made the issue a software supply chain risk:
“Because this includes publishing images under their authorized names, we treated this as a software supply chain risk and rated it as significant.”
What the Docker Hub vulnerability did not allow
Although the flaw presented a significant risk, Docker said it did not provide web access to Docker Hub or allow attackers to change passwords, email addresses, or two-factor authentication settings. This meant attackers could not use the vulnerability to lock legitimate account holders out of their accounts.
Docker Hub vulnerability timeline
The issue was introduced on August 26, 2024, when a conversion process began reassigning personal account PATs to new owners. The tokens were not revoked or rotated, and designated owners were not required to confirm the change.
Docker received a vulnerability report on September 30, 2026. The company reviewed the report and deployed a production fix within four hours.
Docker investigated 304,000 pushes made using transferred tokens and analyzed high-risk public images. The company said it found no evidence of abuse.
Affected users and organization owners were notified on October 2. Transferred PATs were deactivated on October 8, except for users whose owners explicitly requested that the tokens be retained.
Do Docker Hub users need to take action?
Docker says users who did not receive a notification should consider themselves unaffected and do not need to take any action.
To prevent similar incidents, Docker Hub will no longer forward PATs during account conversion. The platform will also request user consent before designating organization owners.
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Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com