CVE-2025-2241
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability exposes VCenter credentials in ClusterProvision objects within Hive (part of Multicluster Engine and Advanced Cluster Management). Attackers with read access to these objects can extract sensitive credentials without needing Kubernetes Secrets access, potentially leading to unauthorized VCenter access and privilege escalation. Organizations using affected versions of MCE/ACM with VSphere cluster provisioning are impacted.
💻 Affected Systems
- Red Hat Multicluster Engine (MCE)
- Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management (ACM)
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full compromise of VCenter infrastructure leading to complete cluster takeover, lateral movement across environments, and potential data exfiltration or destruction.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to VCenter management functions, credential harvesting for further attacks, and limited cluster manipulation.
If Mitigated
Credential exposure limited to authorized users with proper RBAC controls, though still violates principle of least privilege.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires Kubernetes API access and appropriate RBAC permissions to read ClusterProvision objects. No special tools needed beyond kubectl or API access.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check Red Hat advisory for specific fixed versions
Vendor Advisory: https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-2241
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Review Red Hat advisory for exact fixed versions. 2. Update MCE/ACM to patched version. 3. Verify ClusterProvision objects no longer contain credential data. 4. Rotate exposed VCenter credentials as precaution.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict ClusterProvision Object Access
allImplement strict RBAC controls to limit read access to ClusterProvision objects to only essential personnel.
kubectl create role restricted-clusterprovision --verb=get,list --resource=clusterprovisions -n <namespace>
kubectl create rolebinding restrict-clusterprovision --role=restricted-clusterprovision --user=<authorized-user> -n <namespace>
Credential Rotation
allImmediately rotate all VCenter credentials used for cluster provisioning to mitigate impact of potential exposure.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict RBAC to limit ClusterProvision object access to minimal required users
- Regularly audit and monitor access to ClusterProvision objects and rotate VCenter credentials frequently
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if ClusterProvision objects contain VCenter credential fields by examining object YAML/JSON output: kubectl get clusterprovision -o yaml | grep -i credentialCheck Version:
oc get clusterversion version -o json | jq .status.desired.version (for OpenShift) or check MCE/ACM operator versionVerify Fix Applied:
After patching, verify ClusterProvision objects no longer contain credential data in their spec or status fields.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual access patterns to ClusterProvision objects
- Multiple failed then successful queries to ClusterProvision resources
- API requests for ClusterProvision objects from unexpected users/sources
Network Indicators:
- Increased Kubernetes API traffic targeting ClusterProvision resources
- Outbound connections to VCenter from unexpected sources following ClusterProvision access
SIEM Query:
source="kubernetes-audit" AND objectRef.resource="clusterprovisions" AND verb IN ("get", "list", "watch") | stats count by user, sourceIPs