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CVE-2025-57849 Red Hat CVE debrief

A container privilege escalation flaw was found in certain Fuse images. This issue stems from the /etc/passwd file being created with group-writable permissions during build time. 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 could allow the attacker to add a new user with any arbitrary UID, including UID 0, leading to full root privileges within the container.

Vendor
Red Hat
Product
Red Hat Fuse 7
CVSS
MEDIUM 6.4
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2026-03-13
Original CVE updated
2026-06-05
Advisory published
2026-03-13
Advisory updated
2026-06-05

Who should care

Users of Red Hat Fuse 7.0.0 who run containers with Fuse images.

Technical summary

The /etc/passwd file in certain Fuse images is created with group-writable permissions. An attacker who can execute commands within an affected container as a non-root user, but is a member of the root group, can modify /etc/passwd to add a new user with arbitrary UID, including UID 0, gaining full root privileges within the container.

Defensive priority

MEDIUM

Recommended defensive actions

  • Apply patches or updates provided by Red Hat to ensure the /etc/passwd file is created with proper permissions.
  • Restrict write access to the /etc/passwd file within containers.
  • Monitor container environments for suspicious activity, especially related to user creation or privilege escalation.

Evidence notes

CVE-2025-57849 has a CVSS score of 6.4 and is classified as MEDIUM severity. The vulnerability was published on 2026-03-13T19:53:52.313Z and modified on 2026-06-05T19:57:46.430Z.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2025-57849 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-57849

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2025-57849 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-57849

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.