gitops-operator: Incorrect Privilege Assignment
CVE-2025-13888 is a critical-severity incorrect privilege assignment vulnerability in gitops-operator from Redhat-developer, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.1 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with administrator privileges, without any action from a user. The record lists version 1.16.2 as the first without the flaw, so updating gitops-operator to that release or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.69% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 53% of scored CVEs.
Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.
What to do
- Update gitops-operator to 1.16.2 or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redhat-developer | gitops-operator | before 1.16.2 | 1.16.2 |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.16 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.17 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.18 | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift GitOps | Not specified in the record | Not stated |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- HighAdministrator-level access is required first.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (redhat.com).
Official description
A flaw was found in OpenShift GitOps. Namespace admins can create ArgoCD Custom Resources (CRs) that trick the system into granting them elevated permissions in other namespaces, including privileged namespaces. An authenticated attacker can then use these elevated permissions to create privileged workloads that run on master nodes, effectively giving them root access to the entire cluster.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Incorrect Privilege Assignment
A product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a particular actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
- Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment. For example, database applications rarely need to run as the database administrator, especially in day-to-day operations.
More Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerabilities (CWE-266)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Other references
Recent Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerabilities
- 7.2 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.3 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
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