CVE-2025-4437Network attack vector

Service interruption via unbounded password-file read

Published Aug 20, 2025 · Updated Sep 1, 2026

Resource exhaustion in CRI-O on Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 allows remote authenticated users to interrupt node services. When securityContext.runAsUser names a nonexistent user, GeneratePasswd reads the container's entire oversized /etc/passwd into memory without a size limit. Remote authenticated users must be able to launch a crafted container; memory pressure can kill applications and disrupt other pods and services on the same host.

CVSS severity5.7
Medium
EPSS probability0.25%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Resource exhaustion in CRI-O on Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 allows remote authenticated users to interrupt node services. When securityContext.runAsUser names a nonexistent user, GeneratePasswd reads the container's entire oversized /etc/passwd into memory without a size limit. Remote authenticated users must be able to launch a crafted container; memory pressure can kill applications and disrupt other pods and services on the same host.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-4437
Published
Aug 20, 2025
Updated
Sep 1, 2026
Vendor
389 Directory Server
Product
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
Classifications
CWE-770, T1499.003
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 20, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 1, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected versions are unavailable in this record. Check the vendor advisory for version and patch details.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

389 Directory Server · Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4Affected versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

5.7Red HatCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-770Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
T1499.003Application Exhaustion Flood

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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