CVE-2025-57847: Ansible Automation Platform Escalation Flaw

CVE-2025-57847 Overview

A container privilege escalation vulnerability has been identified in certain Ansible Automation Platform images. The flaw stems from improper file permissions during the container build process, where the /etc/passwd file is created with group-writable permissions. An attacker who gains command execution within an affected container—even as a non-root user—can exploit their membership in the root group to modify the /etc/passwd file. This enables the creation of new users with arbitrary UIDs, including UID 0, effectively granting full root privileges within the container.

Critical Impact

Attackers with limited access to an affected container can escalate to full root privileges by manipulating the /etc/passwd file, potentially leading to complete container compromise and lateral movement within containerized environments.

Affected Products

• Ansible Automation Platform container images
• Container images built with insecure /etc/passwd permissions (group-writable)
• Environments where users have root group membership within containers

Discovery Timeline

• April 8, 2026 - CVE-2025-57847 published to NVD
• April 8, 2026 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-57847

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-276 (Incorrect Default Permissions), a configuration weakness that occurs when software sets insecure permissions on files or directories during installation or build processes. The vulnerability requires local access and high privileges to exploit, combined with high attack complexity due to the specific conditions needed—namely, the attacker must have root group membership within the container context.

The impact is significant once exploitation is achieved: the attacker gains full control over the container's user authentication mechanism, enabling complete confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise within the container boundary.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the container image build process for certain Ansible Automation Platform images. During the build phase, the /etc/passwd file is created with group-writable permissions (-rw-rw-r-- or similar). This insecure permission setting allows any user who is a member of the root group (GID 0) to modify the authentication database file.

In containerized environments, it is not uncommon for non-root users to be assigned membership in the root group to facilitate certain operations. This creates a dangerous combination where a low-privileged user can modify critical system authentication files.

Attack Vector

The attack requires local access to an affected container with the ability to execute commands. The exploitation process involves:

1. Initial Access: The attacker must gain command execution within the affected container, potentially through application vulnerabilities, compromised credentials, or legitimate but limited access.

2. Permission Verification: The attacker identifies that /etc/passwd has group-writable permissions and confirms their membership in the root group.

3. User Injection: By appending a new entry to /etc/passwd, the attacker creates a user with UID 0 (root). This new user can have a known password hash or no password requirement, depending on the system configuration.

4. Privilege Escalation: Using su or direct login mechanisms, the attacker switches to the newly created root user, gaining full administrative privileges within the container.

This local attack vector requires specific preconditions but poses significant risk in multi-tenant container environments or when containers process untrusted input.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-57847

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected modifications to the /etc/passwd file within container filesystems
• New user entries with UID 0 that were not created during legitimate provisioning
• Audit log entries showing write operations to /etc/passwd by non-administrative processes
• Process execution by unexpected root-level users within affected containers

Detection Strategies

• Implement file integrity monitoring (FIM) on critical authentication files including /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, and /etc/group within containers
• Monitor container runtime events for unexpected privilege escalation patterns or user switching operations
• Scan container images for improper file permissions during CI/CD pipeline stages before deployment
• Deploy runtime security solutions that alert on modifications to sensitive system files

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed audit logging for file system operations within containerized environments
• Configure container security platforms to baseline and alert on deviations in critical file permissions
• Implement real-time monitoring for user creation events and UID 0 assignments within running containers
• Establish alerting thresholds for suspicious su or sudo activity patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-57847

Immediate Actions Required

• Audit all Ansible Automation Platform container images in your environment for improper /etc/passwd permissions
• Verify file permissions on /etc/passwd ensure they are set to 644 (owner-writable only) and not group-writable
• Review container configurations to identify any non-root users that have been granted root group membership
• Rebuild affected container images with correct file permissions applied during the build process

Patch Information

Red Hat has acknowledged this vulnerability and is tracking it through their security response process. For the latest patch information and remediation guidance, consult the Red Hat CVE-2025-57847 Advisory and Red Hat Bug Report #2391092.

Organizations should monitor Red Hat's security advisories for updated container images that address this vulnerability. Until patched images are available, implement the workarounds described below.

Workarounds

• Modify container entrypoint scripts to correct /etc/passwd permissions at runtime using chmod 644 /etc/passwd
• Remove root group membership from container users where it is not strictly required for application functionality
• Implement read-only filesystem configurations for containers where possible, protecting system files from modification
• Deploy container security policies that prevent writes to /etc/passwd and other sensitive files

# Configuration example
# Verify and correct /etc/passwd permissions in Dockerfile
RUN chmod 644 /etc/passwd && \
    chown root:root /etc/passwd

# Or add to container entrypoint script
#!/bin/bash
chmod 644 /etc/passwd
chown root:root /etc/passwd
exec "$@"