# CVE-2019-25067: Podman/Varlink API Privilege Escalation

> Remote attackers can escalate privileges via the Podman and Varlink API, requiring immediate patching for container infrastructure security.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 9 Jun 2022
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2019-25067, GHSA-vjwp-mggj-92gq, UBUNTU-CVE-2019-25067

## What is CVE-2019-25067?

CVE-2019-25067 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Podman, published on 9 Jun 2022. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, was found in Podman and Varlink 1.5.1. This affects an unknown part of the component API. The manipulation leads to Remote Privilege Escalation. It is possible to initiate the attack remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The identifier VDB-143949 was assigned to this vulnerability.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-25067?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Podman Project Podman, Varlink Varlink.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-25067?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2019-25067 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-25067 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Podman

- [CVE-2026-57231](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-57231/): Podman: Malformed Image can trick podman run into leaking host environment variables into the container (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2022-2738](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-2738/): Use after free in podman (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2022-2989](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-2989/): Podman's incorrect handling of the supplementary groups may lead to data disclosure, modification (high 7.1)
- [CVE-2021-20188](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-20188/): Improper Authorization in github.com/containers/libpod (high 7.0)
- [CVE-2023-0778](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-0778/): Podman Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition (medium 6.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-25067 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-25067 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Podman, published on 9 Jun 2022. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-25067 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Podman. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-25067/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-25067/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-25067
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-25067
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-25067

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-25067/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.