# CVE-2025-57847: Ansible-automation-platform: privilege escalation via excessive group writable /etc/passwd permissions

> Attackers with container access can escalate to root by modifying group-writable /etc/passwd files in Ansible Automation Platform images.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 8 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 13 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-49g2-wpmf-55pv

## What is CVE-2025-57847?

CVE-2025-57847 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2, published on 8 Apr 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A container privilege escalation flaw was found in certain Ansible Automation Platform images. This issue arises from the /etc/passwd file being created with group-writable permissions during the build process. In certain conditions, an attacker who can execute commands within an affected container, even as a non-root user, can leverage their membership in the root group to modify the /etc/passwd file. This vulnerability allows an attacker to add a new user with any arbitrary UID, including UID 0, gaining full root privileges within the container.

Weakness: CWE-276 (Incorrect Default Permissions)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-57847?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Redhat Ansible Automation Platform.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-57847?

No fix has been published for CVE-2025-57847 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2025-57847 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-57847 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2

- [CVE-2021-4112](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-4112/): Privilege escalation in ansible-tower (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2023-4237](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-4237/): Platform: ec2_key module prints out the private key directly to the standard output (high 7.3)
- [CVE-2021-3583](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-3583/): Improper Input Validation and Command Injection in Ansible (high 7.1)
- [CVE-2025-9907](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-9907/): Event-driven-ansible: event stream test mode exposes sensitive headers in aap eda (medium 6.7)
- [CVE-2025-9908](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-9908/): Event-driven-ansible: sensitive internal headers disclosure in aap eda event streams (medium 6.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-57847 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-57847 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2, published on 8 Apr 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-57847 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2. 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-2025-57847/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-57847/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-57847
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-57847
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-57847

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-57847/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.