CVE-2025-52565
Description
A flaw was found in runc. CVE-2025-52565 is very similar in concept and application toCVE-2025-31133, except that it exploits a flaw in /dev/console bind-mounts. When creating the /dev/console bind-mount (to /dev/pts/$n), if an attacker replaces /dev/pts/$n with a symlink then runc will bind-mount the symlink target over /dev/console.
Statement
Red Hat considers this as an Important flaw since the impact is limited to local attack with minimal privileges in order to jeopardize the environment.
Mitigation
Potential mitigations for this issue include:
* Using user namespaces, with the host root user not mapped into the container's namespace. procfs file permissions are managed using Unix DAC and thus user namespaces stop a container process from being able to write to them.
* Not running as a root user in the container (this includes disabling setuid binaries with noNewPrivileges). As above, procfs file permissions are managed using Unix DAC and thus non-root users cannot write to them.
* The default SELinux policy should mitigate this issue, as the /dev/console bind-mount does not re-label the mount and so the container process should not be able to write to unsafe procfs files. However, CVE-2025-52881 allows an attacker to bypass LSM labels, and so this mitigation is not helpful when considered in combination with CVE-2025-52881.
* The default AppArmor profile used by most runtimes will NOT help mitigate this issue, as /dev/console access is permitted. You could create a custom profile that blocks access to /dev/console, but such a profile might break regular containers. In addition, CVE-2025-52881 allows an attacker to bypass LSM labels, and so that mitigation is not helpful when considered in combination with CVE-2025-52881.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 8.2 | 7.5 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | High | N/A |
| Privileges Required | Low | Low | N/A |
| User Interaction | Required | Required | N/A |
| Scope | Changed | Changed | N/A |
| Confidentiality | High | High | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | High | High | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | High | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality,Integrity,Access Control
Technical Impact: Read Files or Directories; Modify Files or Directories; Bypass Protection Mechanism
An attacker may be able to traverse the file system to unintended locations and read or overwrite the contents of unexpected files. If the files are used for a security mechanism then an attacker may be able to bypass the mechanism.
Other
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
Windows simple shortcuts, sometimes referred to as soft links, can be exploited remotely since a ".LNK" file can be uploaded like a normal file. This can enable remote execution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not sure what something means? Check out our Security Glossary.
Want to get errata notifications? Sign up here.
