CVE-2025-8077

Behavior in Patched Versions

• Upgrades: NeuVector does not reset any existing account passwords. It's strongly recommended to change the default admin password to a secure one.
• New deployments:
  • If bootstrapPassword is not set in the `neuvector-bootstrap-secret, NeuVector generates a secure password and stores it in the same Secret.

On first login, the default admin must retrieve the password using:

kubectl get secret -n {neuvector} neuvector-bootstrap-secret \
  -o go-template='{{ .data.bootstrapPassword | base64decode }}{{ "\n" }}'

The password must be changed during the first login via the NeuVector UI.

NOTE: If the default admin password is set using a Kubernetes ConfigMap or a persistent backup (not a fixed string), this value takes precedence over the Secret-based mechanism.

Workarounds

For existing vulnerable versions, log in to the NeuVector UI immediately after deployment and update the default admin password.

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 NeuVector repository.
• Verify with our support matrix and product support lifecycle.

A vulnerability exists in NeuVector versions up to and including 5.4.5, where a fixed string is used as the default password for the built-in admin account. If this password is not changed immediately after deployment, any workload with network access within the cluster could use the default credentials to obtain an authentication token. This token can then be used to perform any operation via NeuVector APIs.

In earlier versions, NeuVector supports setting the default (bootstrap) password for the admin account using a Kubernetes Secret named neuvector-bootstrap-secret. This Secret must contain a key named bootstrapPassword. However, if NeuVector fails to retrieve this value, it falls back to the fixed default password.

CVE-2025-8077 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, no 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 (0.0.0-20250825191744-da1a462074c3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

This issue is resolved in NeuVector version 5.4.6 and later. For rolling upgrades, it's strongly recommended to change the default admin password to a secure one.

Starting from version 5.4.6, NeuVector introduces additional Kubernetes RBAC permissions to ensure the bootstrap password can be securely managed via Secrets:

kubectl create role neuvector-binding-secret-controller \
  --verb=create,patch,update --resource=secrets -n {neuvector}

kubectl create rolebinding neuvector-binding-secret-controller \
  --role=neuvector-binding-secret-controller \
  --serviceaccount=neuvector:controller \
  --serviceaccount=neuvector:default -n {neuvector}

• These RBAC roles are automatically applied when deploying via Helm.
• If deploying or upgrading manually, you must create these roles before starting NeuVector.

NOTE: If these roles are not present, the NeuVector controller (from version 5.4.6 onward) does not start.

1. What is CVE-2025-8077? CVE-2025-8077 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in github.com/neuvector/neuvector (go), affecting versions < 0.0.0-20250825191744-da1a462074c3. It is fixed in 0.0.0-20250825191744-da1a462074c3.
2. How severe is CVE-2025-8077? CVE-2025-8077 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). 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/neuvector/neuvector are affected by CVE-2025-8077? github.com/neuvector/neuvector (go) versions < 0.0.0-20250825191744-da1a462074c3 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2025-8077? Yes. CVE-2025-8077 is fixed in 0.0.0-20250825191744-da1a462074c3. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2025-8077 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-8077 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-2025-8077 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-2025-8077? Upgrade github.com/neuvector/neuvector to 0.0.0-20250825191744-da1a462074c3 or later.