CVE Tools

CVE-2025-7195

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

Published: Aug 7, 2025Updated: Feb 11, 2026 Sources: CVE List NVD GHSACWE-276
5.2CVSSMEDIUM

Description

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.

CVSS Vector Breakdown

AV:LAC:HPR:HUI:NS:UC:LI:HA:L
Exploitability
AV:LAttack Vector
Local
AC:HAttack Complexity
High
PR:HPrivileges Required
High
UI:NUser Interaction
None
Scope
S:UScope
Unchanged
Impact
C:LConfidentiality
Low
I:HIntegrity
High
A:LAvailability
Low

Weaknesses

Affected Products

operator-frameworkoss-projectCloud & SaaSaka operator-sdk
red hatcommercialUSOperating Systemsaka red hat
and 25 more affected products View all →

Attack Graph

Products CVE Techniques Tactics

Click technique nodes to view MITRE ATT&CK details. Scroll to zoom, drag to pan.

Exploitability

Official Patch Available
Workaround Available

MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique
Privilege Escalation
View detailed technique mapping

References

and 26 more references View all →

Timeline

Published
Aug 7, 2025
Last Updated
Feb 11, 2026

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