diff --git a/.github/contributors.yaml b/.github/contributors.yaml
index 115a711b..99414634 100644
--- a/.github/contributors.yaml
+++ b/.github/contributors.yaml
@@ -113,3 +113,7 @@ users:
   pocopepe:
     name: Viju Sanjai
     email: avijusanjai@gmail.com
+  Anand-240:
+    name: Anand Prakash Srivastava
+    email: anandprakashsrivastava68@gmail.com
+
diff --git a/pkg/unikontainers/unikontainers.go b/pkg/unikontainers/unikontainers.go
index bc43bcac..b218c4ce 100644
--- a/pkg/unikontainers/unikontainers.go
+++ b/pkg/unikontainers/unikontainers.go
@@ -698,10 +698,12 @@ func (u *Unikontainer) Exec(metrics m.Writer) error {
 
 	// pivot
 	_, err = findNS(u.Spec.Linux.Namespaces, specs.MountNamespace)
-	// We just want to check if a mount namespace was define din the list
-	// Therefore, if there was no error and the mount namespace was found
-	// we can pivot.
-	withPivot := err != nil
+	// Only pivot if a mount namespace entry is actually present in the
+	// spec, either to join (err is nil) or to create (err is
+	// ErrNotExistingNS). If the entry is missing entirely, no new mount
+	// namespace gets created and we have to chroot instead, otherwise
+	// pivot_root would run against the caller's own root filesystem.
+	withPivot := err == nil || errors.Is(err, ErrNotExistingNS)
 	err = changeRoot(rootfsParams.MonRootfs, withPivot)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
diff --git a/pkg/unikontainers/utils_test.go b/pkg/unikontainers/utils_test.go
index b779b982..2d23ea33 100644
--- a/pkg/unikontainers/utils_test.go
+++ b/pkg/unikontainers/utils_test.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ package unikontainers
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strconv"
@@ -240,6 +241,47 @@ func TestRemovePreservesOrder(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, []string{"b", "c", "d"}, result)
 }
 
+// TestFindNS checks that findNS lets callers tell apart a namespace type
+// missing from the spec from one that's present but not created yet
+// (empty path). Exec() relies on that distinction to decide when it's
+// safe to pivot_root.
+func TestFindNS(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	t.Run("namespace type missing from spec", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+		namespaces := []specs.LinuxNamespace{
+			{Type: specs.NetworkNamespace, Path: "/dummy/path"},
+		}
+		path, err := findNS(namespaces, specs.MountNamespace)
+		assert.Empty(t, path)
+		assert.Error(t, err)
+		assert.False(t, errors.Is(err, ErrNotExistingNS), "a namespace type absent from the spec must not be reported as ErrNotExistingNS")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("namespace present without a path yet", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+		namespaces := []specs.LinuxNamespace{
+			{Type: specs.MountNamespace, Path: ""},
+		}
+		path, err := findNS(namespaces, specs.MountNamespace)
+		assert.Empty(t, path)
+		assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrNotExistingNS)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("namespace present with an existing path", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+		nsPath := t.TempDir()
+
+		namespaces := []specs.LinuxNamespace{
+			{Type: specs.MountNamespace, Path: nsPath},
+		}
+		path, err := findNS(namespaces, specs.MountNamespace)
+		assert.NoError(t, err)
+		assert.Equal(t, nsPath, path)
+	})
+}
+
 func TestLoadSpec(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Run("load spec success", func(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Parallel()