CVE-2025-62879

Workarounds

Users are advised to rotate both S3 accessKey and secretKey once they have upgraded to a fixed version, especially if logs are exported.

Users who cannot update Rancher are advised to refresh the Rancher app Repository, which should provide the ability to update just the Rancher Backup chart alone. This will patch the vulnerabilities without requiring Rancher to be updated. This will not work for Rancher clusters in an air-gap setup.

For air-gapped Rancher clusters, the Rancher version must be updated first, and then after you will find the patched version of the Rancher Backup chart to upgrade. You will also need to sync new images for the release to your image mirror.

Users who cannot update either Rancher or Rancher Backup should ensure that both debug and trace values are both false (default). Users should revert the values to the default until they can update to prevent potential leaks.

References

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

• Reach out to the SUSE Rancher Security team for security related inquiries.
• Open an issue in the Rancher repository.
• Verify with our support matrix and product support lifecycle.

A vulnerability has been identified within the Rancher Backup Operator, resulting in the leakage of S3 tokens (both accessKey and secretKey) into the rancher-backup-operator pod's logs.

Specifically, the S3 accessKey and secretKey are exposed in the pod's logs under the following logging level conditions:

Note: The S3 accessKey is exposed in the logs without requiring any supplementary configuration.

For further information on this attack category, please consult the associated MITRE ATT&CK - Technique - Log Enumeration.

CVE-2025-62879 has a CVSS score of 6.8 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, high privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (9.0.1, 8.1.2, 7.0.5, 6.0.3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

This vulnerability is addressed by applying redaction to sensitive information that was leaking.

Patched versions of Rancher Backup Operator include: 108.0.1+up9.0.1, 107.1.2+up8.1.2, 106.0.6+up7.0.5, and 105.0.6+up6.0.3.

1. What is CVE-2025-62879? CVE-2025-62879 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in github.com/rancher/backup-restore-operator (go), affecting versions >= 9.0.0, < 9.0.1. It is fixed in 9.0.1, 8.1.2, 7.0.5, 6.0.3.
2. How severe is CVE-2025-62879? CVE-2025-62879 has a CVSS score of 6.8 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of github.com/rancher/backup-restore-operator are affected by CVE-2025-62879? github.com/rancher/backup-restore-operator (go) versions >= 9.0.0, < 9.0.1 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2025-62879? Yes. CVE-2025-62879 is fixed in 9.0.1, 8.1.2, 7.0.5, 6.0.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2025-62879 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-62879 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2025-62879 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2025-62879?
   • Upgrade github.com/rancher/backup-restore-operator to 9.0.1 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/rancher/backup-restore-operator to 8.1.2 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/rancher/backup-restore-operator to 7.0.5 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/rancher/backup-restore-operator to 6.0.3 or later