CVE-2025-7195

Early versions of Operator-SDK provided an insecure method to allow operator containers to run in environments that used a random UID. Operator-SDK before 0.15.2 provided a script, user_setup, which modifies the permissions of the /etc/passwd file to 664 during build time. Developers who used Operator-SDK before 0.15.2 to scaffold their operator may still be impacted by this if the insecure user_setup script is still being used to build new container images. In affected images, the /etc/passwd file was created during build time with group-writable permissions and a group ownership of root (gid=0). An attacker who can execute commands within an affected container, even as a non-root user, may be able to 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.

CVE-2025-7195 has a CVSS score of 5.2 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, 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 (0.15.2); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2025-7195? CVE-2025-7195 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in github.com/operator-framework/operator-sdk (go), affecting versions < 0.15.2. It is fixed in 0.15.2.
2. How severe is CVE-2025-7195? CVE-2025-7195 has a CVSS score of 5.2 (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/operator-framework/operator-sdk are affected by CVE-2025-7195? github.com/operator-framework/operator-sdk (go) versions < 0.15.2 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2025-7195? Yes. CVE-2025-7195 is fixed in 0.15.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2025-7195 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-7195 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-2025-7195 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-2025-7195? Upgrade github.com/operator-framework/operator-sdk to 0.15.2 or later.