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CVE-2025-7195

Operator-sdk: privilege escalation due to incorrect permissions of /etc/passwd

No known exploitation. EPSS puts it in the 18th percentile. Fixed versions are out.

CVSS 3.16.4MediumEPSS percentile18th0.3% chance in 30 daysCISA KEVNot listedNo confirmed exploitation
No public exploit knownFix5 products5 fixed builds listed below
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OpenVAS · 1 check

e.g. OID 1.3.6.1.4.1.25623.1.1.18.1.2025.15434.1

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Published Updated Sources: CVE.org, NVD, GitHub

NVD CVE.org

What to do

Find your product and version, then upgrade to the build on the right.

  • Operator-framework Operator-sdkAffected: < 0.15.2Upgrade to: 0.15.2Stated by: CVE record
  • Red Hat RHEL-9-CNV-4.17Fixed buildsv4.17.39-2Stated by: CVE record
  • Red Hat RHEL-9-CNV-4.18Fixed buildsv4.18.25-3Stated by: CVE record
  • Red Hat RHEL-9-CNV-4.20Fixed buildsv4.20.3-3Stated by: CVE record
  • Red Hat multicluster engine for Kubernetes 2.6Fixed buildsv2.6Stated by: CVE record

Versions as the sources state them. 15 more products have version data. Full version matrix after sign-in

Check it yourselfA free OpenVAS check exists for this CVE. Run it against your hosts.Is your organisation exposed?Request an assessment to establish which checks fit your systems.

What it is

From the CVE record

Early versions of Operator-SDK provided an insecure method to allow operator containers to run in environments that used a random UID. Operator-SDK before 0.15.2 provided a script, user_setup, which modifies the permissions of the /etc/passwd file to 664 during build time. Developers who used Operator-SDK before 0.15.2 to scaffold their operator may still be impacted by this if the insecure user_setup script is still being used to build new container images. In affected images, the /etc/passwd file is created during build time with group-writable permissions and a group ownership of root (gid=0). An attacker who can execute commands within an affected container, even as a non-root user, may be able to leverage their membership in the root group to modify the /etc/passwd file. This could allow the attacker to add a new user with any arbitrary UID, including UID 0, leading to full root privileges within the container.

In plain language

No plain-language summary for this CVE yet.

Exploitation

Where each signal puts this CVE on the scale from published to confirmed exploited.

EPSS18th
CISA KEV

Not in the catalog. CISA has not confirmed exploitation.

Public exploits

No public exploit or proof of concept found in the sources we track.

EPSS

0.3% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, which ranks it in the 18th percentile of scored CVEs.

Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST.org. A probability, not a confirmation.

Lifecycle

91 events over 410 days, from the signal feeds we watch.

  1. Patch availableworkaround available, record updated
  2. Patch availableworkaround available, record updated
  3. Patch availableworkaround available, record updated
  4. Patch availableworkaround available, record updated
  5. Patch availableworkaround available, record updated
  6. Patch availableworkaround available, record updated

Affected products

And 20 more affected products. See all after sign-in

Technical detail

CVSS 3.1 vector

Open in the CVSS calculator

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Scored 6.4 by NVD.

How it is reached

  • Attack Vector LocalRequires local access to the vulnerable system (e.g. local login, malicious file)
  • Attack Complexity HighRequires specific conditions like a race condition or non-default configuration
  • Privileges Required HighRequires admin or elevated privileges
  • User Interaction NoneNo user interaction needed — fully automated exploitation

Scope

  • Scope UnchangedImpact is limited to the vulnerable component itself

Impact if exploited

  • Confidentiality HighTotal information disclosure — all data in the component is compromised
  • Integrity HighTotal loss of integrity — attacker can modify any data in the component
  • Availability HighTotal denial of service — the component is completely unavailable

Weaknesses

ATT&CK techniques

Mapped from the weaknesses above (CWE to ATT&CK), not observed in attacks.

Sources

References in the record

And 26 more references. See all after sign-in

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