// For flags

CVE-2025-7195

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

Severity Score

5.2
*CVSS v3.1

Exploit Likelihood

*EPSS

Affected Versions

*CPE

Public Exploits

0
*Multiple Sources

Exploited in Wild

-
*KEV

Decision

Track
*SSVC
Descriptions

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.

*Credits: Red Hat would like to thank Antony Di Scala, James Force, and Michael Whale for reporting this issue.
CVSS Scores
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
High
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
High
Availability
Low
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Authentication
Multiple
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Partial
* Common Vulnerability Scoring System
SSVC
  • Decision:Track
Exploitation
None
Automatable
No
Tech. Impact
Partial
* Organization's Worst-case Scenario
Timeline
  • 2025-07-07 CVE Reserved
  • 2025-08-07 CVE Published
  • 2025-08-13 EPSS Updated
  • 2025-08-19 CVE Updated
  • ---------- Exploited in Wild
  • ---------- KEV Due Date
  • ---------- First Exploit
CWE
  • CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions
CAPEC
Affected Vendors, Products, and Versions
Vendor Product Version Other Status
Vendor Product Version Other Status <-- --> Vendor Product Version Other Status
Redhat
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Acm
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*-
Affected
Redhat
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Advanced Cluster Management For Kubernetes
Search vendor "Redhat" for product "Advanced Cluster Management For Kubernetes"
*-
Affected
Redhat
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Advanced Cluster Security
Search vendor "Redhat" for product "Advanced Cluster Security"
*-
Affected
Redhat
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Multicluster Engine
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*-
Affected
Redhat
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Multicluster Globalhub
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*-
Affected
Redhat
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Openshift
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*-
Affected
Redhat
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Openshift Data Foundation
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*-
Affected
Redhat
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Openshift File Integrity Operator
Search vendor "Redhat" for product "Openshift File Integrity Operator"
*-
Affected
Redhat
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Openshift
Search vendor "Redhat" for product "Openshift"
*-
Affected