CVE-2025-57854
Osus-operator: privilege escalation via excessive /etc/passwd permissions
Description
A container privilege escalation flaw was found in certain OpenShift Update Service (OSUS) images. This issue stems from the /etc/passwd file being created with group-writable permissions during build time. In certain conditions, 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.
INFO
Published Date :
April 8, 2026, 2:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
July 24, 2026, 8:10 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | |||||
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | 53f830b8-0a3f-465b-8143-3b8a9948e749 | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | [email protected] |
Solution
- Rebuild container images with correct file permissions.
- Ensure /etc/passwd is not group-writable.
- Apply vendor security patches promptly.
- Restrict container access.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2025-57854.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-57854 | Vendor Advisory |
| https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2391107 | Issue Tracking Vendor Advisory |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2025-57854 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2025-57854
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2025-57854 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2025-57854 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
CVE Translated by [email protected]
Jul. 24, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Translation Title: Red Hat OpenShift Update Service de Red Hat, Description: Una falla de escalada de privilegios de contenedor fue encontrada en ciertas imágenes de OpenShift Update Service (OSUS). Este problema se origina en que el archivo /etc/p4ssd se crea con permisos de escritura para el grupo durante el tiempo de compilación. En ciertas condiciones, un atacante que puede ejecutar comandos dentro de un contenedor afectado, incluso como un usuario no-root, podría aprovechar su pertenencia al grupo root para modificar el archivo /etc/p4ssd. Esto podría permitir al atacante añadir un nuevo usuario con cualquier UID arbitrario, incluyendo UID 0, lo que llevaría a privilegios de root completos dentro del contenedor. -
CVE Modified by [email protected]
Jun. 17, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'cpes': ['cpe:/a:redhat:openshift_update_service:5'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat OpenShift Update Service', 'packageName': 'openshift-update-service/openshift-update-service-rhel8-operator', 'collectionURL': 'https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/', 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Jun. 17, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2025-57854', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-04-08T14:42:17.931810Z'} -
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
May. 04, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift_update_service:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Added Reference Type Red Hat, Inc.: https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-57854 Types: Vendor Advisory Added Reference Type Red Hat, Inc.: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2391107 Types: Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Apr. 08, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description A container privilege escalation flaw was found in certain OpenShift Update Service (OSUS) images. This issue stems from the /etc/passwd file being created with group-writable permissions during build time. In certain conditions, 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. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Added CWE CWE-276 Added Reference https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-57854 Added Reference https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2391107