Medium severity · published Apr 8, 2026
CVE-2025-57851
Mce: privilege escalation via excessive /etc/passwd permissions
6.7
CVSS
0.1%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
A container privilege escalation flaw was found in certain Multicluster Engine for Kubernetes 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.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.1% · higher than 1% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
ME
Multicluster Engine for Kubernetes · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: vendor
AC
Advanced Cluster Management For Kubernetes · Redhat
All versions, or not specified · source: NVD
Affected product
ME
Multicluster Engine for Kubernetes
Red Hat
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