---
title: "HOST-DKR-001 Users With Root-Equivalent Docker Access"
canonical: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-DKR-001.html
html: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-DKR-001.html
site: OpenVAPT, https://openvapt.com/
license: OpenVAPT Source-Available Licence 1.3, https://openvapt.com/legal/licence-text.html
modified: 2026-10-14
version: 0.1.0-alpha.6
---

# HOST-DKR-001 Users With Root-Equivalent Docker Access

Checks whether non-root users can control Docker, which is equivalent to root access.

- Domain: Server
- Severity: High
- Control category: Identity and Authentication
- Fix effort: medium
- CVSS v3.1 vector: `CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`
- CIS Controls v8: 5.4
- NIST CSF 2.0: PR.AA-05
- CWE: CWE-250, CWE-266
- NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: AC-6

## Why It Matters

Members of the docker group, or anyone who can write to the Docker socket, can start a container that mounts the host filesystem and become root.

## How It Detects

Reads members of the docker group from /etc/group and the permissions of /var/run/docker.sock.

## How to Fix

Remove users who do not need it from the docker group (gpasswd -d <user> docker); consider rootless Docker or Podman; keep docker.sock at 660 root:docker.

## How to Verify

```
getent group docker ; stat -c '%a %U:%G' /var/run/docker.sock
```

## Learn the Theory

- [P7 Identity, Passwords and Privilege](https://openvapt.com/academy/p7.md)
- [P9 Containers and Kubernetes](https://openvapt.com/academy/p9.md)

## References

- [Docker documentation, Docker daemon attack surface](https://docs.docker.com/engine/security/#docker-daemon-attack-surface)

## Source Code

https://github.com/OpenVAPT/openvapt/blob/574f7f3333c44b75a3c649e2d93a76d507f75adf/internal/checks/host/hardening.go

Run it: `openvapt scan --only HOST-DKR-001`. Read it offline: `openvapt explain HOST-DKR-001`.

---

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