# CVE-2025-7195: Operator-sdk: privilege escalation due to incorrect permissions of /etc/passwd

> Attackers with container access can escalate to root by modifying group-writable /etc/passwd files created by older Operator-SDK versions.

- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 7 Aug 2025
- **Updated:** 21 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-856v-8qm2-9wjv, GO-2025-3852

## What is CVE-2025-7195?

CVE-2025-7195 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Red Hat Multicluster Engine for Kubernetes, published on 7 Aug 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official 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.

Weakness: CWE-276 (Incorrect Default Permissions)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-7195?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/operator-framework/operator-sdk.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `github.com/operator-framework/operator-sdk` | Go | All versions | 0.15.2 |
| `github.com/operator-framework/operator-sdk` | Go | All versions | 0.15.2 |
| `github.com/operator-framework/operator-sdk` | Go | All versions | 0.15.2 |

## How do I fix CVE-2025-7195?

Upgrade github.com/operator-framework/operator-sdk to 0.15.2 or later.

## Is CVE-2025-7195 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-7195 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-7195 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-7195 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Red Hat Multicluster Engine for Kubernetes, published on 7 Aug 2025. 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-2025-7195 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- github.com/operator-framework/operator-sdk (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 0.15.2
- github.com/operator-framework/operator-sdk (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 0.15.2
- github.com/operator-framework/operator-sdk (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 0.15.2

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-2025-7195/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-7195/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-7195
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-7195
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-7195

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-7195/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.