diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
index e0d24f8f24e..474cd293ba3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ jobs:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
         os: [ubuntu-20.04, ubuntu-22.04]
-        go-version: [1.20.x, 1.21.x]
+        go-version: [1.21.x, 1.22.x]
         rootless: ["rootless", ""]
         race: ["-race", ""]
         criu: ["", "criu-dev"]
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ jobs:
           - criu: criu-dev
             rootless: rootless
           - criu: criu-dev
-            go-version: 1.20.x
+            go-version: 1.21.x
           - criu: criu-dev
             race: -race
           - dmz: runc_nodmz
diff --git a/.github/workflows/validate.yml b/.github/workflows/validate.yml
index c28094cec31..c9e95212286 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/validate.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/validate.yml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ on:
       - release-*
   pull_request:
 env:
-  GO_VERSION: 1.20.x
+  GO_VERSION: 1.21.x
 permissions:
   contents: read
 
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 7598cba9347..464133c6f4b 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-ARG GO_VERSION=1.20
+ARG GO_VERSION=1.21
 ARG BATS_VERSION=v1.9.0
 ARG LIBSECCOMP_VERSION=2.5.5
 
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 40bebdf900f..8386d4bebca 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 module github.com/opencontainers/runc
 
-go 1.20
+go 1.21
 
 require (
 	github.com/checkpoint-restore/go-criu/v6 v6.3.0
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 956a5945fca..c8d314a0a0e 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -17,15 +17,19 @@ github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1/go.mod h1:J7Y8YcW2NihsgmVo/mv3lAwl/skON4iLHjSs
 github.com/docker/go-units v0.5.0 h1:69rxXcBk27SvSaaxTtLh/8llcHD8vYHT7WSdRZ/jvr4=
 github.com/docker/go-units v0.5.0/go.mod h1:fgPhTUdO+D/Jk86RDLlptpiXQzgHJF7gydDDbaIK4Dk=
 github.com/frankban/quicktest v1.14.5 h1:dfYrrRyLtiqT9GyKXgdh+k4inNeTvmGbuSgZ3lx3GhA=
+github.com/frankban/quicktest v1.14.5/go.mod h1:4ptaffx2x8+WTWXmUCuVU6aPUX1/Mz7zb5vbUoiM6w0=
 github.com/godbus/dbus/v5 v5.0.4/go.mod h1:xhWf0FNVPg57R7Z0UbKHbJfkEywrmjJnf7w5xrFpKfA=
 github.com/godbus/dbus/v5 v5.1.0 h1:4KLkAxT3aOY8Li4FRJe/KvhoNFFxo0m6fNuFUO8QJUk=
 github.com/godbus/dbus/v5 v5.1.0/go.mod h1:xhWf0FNVPg57R7Z0UbKHbJfkEywrmjJnf7w5xrFpKfA=
 github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.0/go.mod h1:FsONVRAS9T7sI+LIUmWTfcYkHO4aIWwzhcaSAoJOfIk=
 github.com/google/go-cmp v0.5.5/go.mod h1:v8dTdLbMG2kIc/vJvl+f65V22dbkXbowE6jgT/gNBxE=
 github.com/google/go-cmp v0.5.9 h1:O2Tfq5qg4qc4AmwVlvv0oLiVAGB7enBSJ2x2DqQFi38=
+github.com/google/go-cmp v0.5.9/go.mod h1:17dUlkBOakJ0+DkrSSNjCkIjxS6bF9zb3elmeNGIjoY=
 github.com/inconshreveable/mousetrap v1.0.0/go.mod h1:PxqpIevigyE2G7u3NXJIT2ANytuPF1OarO4DADm73n8=
 github.com/kr/pretty v0.3.1 h1:flRD4NNwYAUpkphVc1HcthR4KEIFJ65n8Mw5qdRn3LE=
+github.com/kr/pretty v0.3.1/go.mod h1:hoEshYVHaxMs3cyo3Yncou5ZscifuDolrwPKZanG3xk=
 github.com/kr/text v0.2.0 h1:5Nx0Ya0ZqY2ygV366QzturHI13Jq95ApcVaJBhpS+AY=
+github.com/kr/text v0.2.0/go.mod h1:eLer722TekiGuMkidMxC/pM04lWEeraHUUmBw8l2grE=
 github.com/moby/sys/mountinfo v0.7.1 h1:/tTvQaSJRr2FshkhXiIpux6fQ2Zvc4j7tAhMTStAG2g=
 github.com/moby/sys/mountinfo v0.7.1/go.mod h1:IJb6JQeOklcdMU9F5xQ8ZALD+CUr5VlGpwtX+VE0rpI=
 github.com/moby/sys/user v0.1.0 h1:WmZ93f5Ux6het5iituh9x2zAG7NFY9Aqi49jjE1PaQg=
@@ -39,6 +43,7 @@ github.com/opencontainers/selinux v1.11.0/go.mod h1:E5dMC3VPuVvVHDYmi78qvhJp8+M5
 github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.0 h1:4DBwDE0NGyQoBHbLQYPwSUPoCMWR5BEzIk/f1lZbAQM=
 github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.0/go.mod h1:iKH77koFhYxTK1pcRnkKkqfTogsbg7gZNVY4sRDYZ/4=
 github.com/rogpeppe/go-internal v1.9.0 h1:73kH8U+JUqXU8lRuOHeVHaa/SZPifC7BkcraZVejAe8=
+github.com/rogpeppe/go-internal v1.9.0/go.mod h1:WtVeX8xhTBvf0smdhujwtBcq4Qrzq/fJaraNFVN+nFs=
 github.com/russross/blackfriday/v2 v2.1.0 h1:JIOH55/0cWyOuilr9/qlrm0BSXldqnqwMsf35Ld67mk=
 github.com/russross/blackfriday/v2 v2.1.0/go.mod h1:+Rmxgy9KzJVeS9/2gXHxylqXiyQDYRxCVz55jmeOWTM=
 github.com/seccomp/libseccomp-golang v0.10.0 h1:aA4bp+/Zzi0BnWZ2F1wgNBs5gTpm+na2rWM6M9YjLpY=