CVE-2025-64433: kubevirt Path Traversal

Description

KubeVirt is a virtual machine management add-on for Kubernetes. Prior to 1.5.3 and 1.6.1, a vulnerability was discovered that allows a VM to read arbitrary files from the virt-launcher pod's file system. This issue stems from improper symlink handling when mounting PVC disks into a VM. Specifically, if a malicious user has full or partial control over the contents of a PVC, they can create a symbolic link that points to a file within the virt-launcher pod's file system. Since libvirt can treat regular files as block devices, any file on the pod's file system that is symlinked in this way can be mounted into the VM and subsequently read. Although a security mechanism exists where VMs are executed as an unprivileged user with UID 107 inside the virt-launcher container, limiting the scope of accessible resources, this restriction is bypassed due to a second vulnerability. The latter causes the ownership of any file intended for mounting to be changed to the unprivileged user with UID 107 prior to mounting. As a result, an attacker can gain access to and read arbitrary files located within the virt-launcher pod's file system or on a mounted PVC from within the guest VM. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.5.3 and 1.6.1.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

6.5

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-22 Path Traversal

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
kubevirt	kubevirt	< 1.5.3
kubevirt	kubevirt	All
kubevirt	kubevirt	All
kubevirt	kubevirt	All
kubevirt	kubevirt	All
kubevirt	kubevirt	All

References

Advisories & Patches

https://github.com/kubevirt/kubevirt/commit/09eafa068ec01eca0e96ebafeeb9522a878dbf64 https://github.com/kubevirt/kubevirt/commit/9dc798cb1efe924a9a2b97b6e016452dec5e3849 https://github.com/kubevirt/kubevirt/commit/a81b27d4600cf654274dd197119658382affdb08 https://github.com/kubevirt/kubevirt/security/advisories/GHSA-qw6q-3pgr-5cwq

Exploits

https://github.com/kubevirt/kubevirt/security/advisories/GHSA-qw6q-3pgr-5cwq

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-64433? +

KubeVirt is a virtual machine management add-on for Kubernetes. Prior to 1.5.3 and 1.6.1, a vulnerability was discovered that allows a VM to read arbitrary files from the virt-launcher pod's file system. This issue stems from improper symlink handling when mounting PVC disks into a VM. Specifically, if a malicious user has full or partial control over the contents of a PVC, they can create a symbolic link that points to a file within the virt-launcher pod's file system. Since libvirt can treat regular files as block devices, any file on the pod's file system that is symlinked in this way can be mounted into the VM and subsequently read. Although a security mechanism exists where VMs are executed as an unprivileged user with UID 107 inside the virt-launcher container, limiting the scope of accessible resources, this restriction is bypassed due to a second vulnerability. The latter causes the ownership of any file intended for mounting to be changed to the unprivileged user with UID 107 prior to mounting. As a result, an attacker can gain access to and read arbitrary files located within the virt-launcher pod's file system or on a mounted PVC from within the guest VM. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.5.3 and 1.6.1. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2025-64433? +

CVE-2025-64433 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 6.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance.

What products are affected by CVE-2025-64433? +

CVE-2025-64433 affects products from kubevirt, specifically: kubevirt. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2025-64433? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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