Container root escalation via group-writable passwd
Published Apr 8, 2026 · Updated Apr 8, 2026
Incorrect permissions in Red Hat multicluster engine for Kubernetes images allow local users to gain container root access. During image builds, /etc/passwd is created group-writable, so a non-root process in the root group can append an account with UID 0. Exploitation requires command execution inside an affected container and root-group membership; the resulting privilege is confined to that container.
Summary
What happened
Incorrect permissions in Red Hat multicluster engine for Kubernetes images allow local users to gain container root access. During image builds, /etc/passwd is created group-writable, so a non-root process in the root group can append an account with UID 0. Exploitation requires command execution inside an affected container and root-group membership; the resulting privilege is confined to that container.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-57851
- Published
- Apr 8, 2026
- Updated
- Apr 8, 2026
- Vendor
- 389 Directory Server
- Product
- multicluster engine for Kubernetes
- Classifications
- CWE-276, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Apr 8, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 8, 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?
What is affected?
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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