Docker has disclosed GhostPat (CVE-2026-105445), a Docker Hub flaw that let anyone create a personal access token (PAT), convert their account into an organization, name a victim as owner, and keep a working token that authenticated as that victim at the registry. Docker fixed it server-side on September 30 and says it found no exploitation, but the bug sat in production for about two years.
What happened
Docker published its advisory on October 12, 2026. When a Docker Hub account was converted to an organization, its PATs were re-assigned to the newly named owner. The token secret was not rotated or revoked, the new owner was not asked to confirm, and the new owner was not notified. Docker rates the issue Critical because of the supply chain risk; The Hacker News reports a CVSS score of 9.4.
Within the token's scope, an attacker could pull, push and delete images in the victim's repositories, reach organizations where the victim had permissions, and publish images under legitimate names. Docker says the token could not be used for the Docker Hub web interface or to change the victim's password, email or two-factor settings.
The flaw was introduced on August 26, 2024. Researchers Peter Molnar and Krisztian Hozak of mptrdev.com reported it on September 30, 2026, and Docker deployed a fix the same afternoon. Docker emailed exposed users and organization owners on October 2 and deactivated all transferred PATs on October 8, except where users opted out.
Docker reviewed every conversion since August 2024, including roughly 304,000 pushes made with transferred tokens. All landed in the converted organization's or the new owner's repositories, usually where both accounts belonged to the same person or team, and static analysis of the highest-risk public images found no tampering. Docker's caveat: registry logs show token use, not existence, so it treated every transferred PAT as potentially affected.
Conversion no longer transfers PATs. Docker also lists consent before naming an organization owner, notification of the named user, an auditable history of token ownership changes, and a review of other credential ownership flows. The Hacker News notes the conversion page claimed the new owner would get a notification email, which never happened.
Why it matters
This is a credential ownership bug, not a password or MFA failure. A registry token is a non-human identity that CI/CD systems trust to publish images, and here a token's secret stayed with one person while its identity moved to another. The victim saw no login, no MFA prompt and no email, so MFA gave no protection.
The lesson carries beyond Docker. Any platform that converts, merges or transfers accounts can move credentials with them. The researchers recommended requiring the receiver's approval before conversion and either limiting carried-over tokens to the organization or invalidating them. Like the GhostAction campaign, this is a reminder that personal tokens tend to end up running build pipelines.
What to check in your environment
- Search mailboxes for Docker's October 2 notice, titled "Docker Hub Vulnerability Identified & Resolved", including shared and distribution-list addresses tied to Docker accounts. Docker says that if you did not receive it, no PAT on your account was transferred.
- If you were notified, go to Account settings → Personal access tokens in Docker Hub, match the tokens against the descriptions and creation dates in the email, and revoke anything unrecognized or unused.
- Check organization membership. The Hacker News advises looking for organizations you did not join on purpose and tokens you did not create.
- Review recent activity. Per The Hacker News, activity logs are available for 30 days in Docker Home, with older entries reachable through the Docker Hub API. Look for pushes or deletes you can't explain.
- Rotate CI tokens and verify image signatures for images you publish, as The Hacker News recommends, especially for repositories other teams pull from.
- Move automation off personal PATs. Docker recommends organization access tokens for automation so pipeline credentials belong to the organization, not to an individual.
- Add ownership changes to your token lifecycle process. When an account is converted or handed over on any SaaS platform, revoke and re-issue its tokens.