Introduction
Attackers who can influence container environment variables in NeuVector Enforcer deployments could achieve root-level command execution, undermining container runtime security controls. This vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-54469, directly impacts organizations relying on NeuVector to enforce security in Kubernetes and cloud-native environments.
NeuVector, now maintained by SUSE, is a widely adopted open source container security platform. It is deployed in enterprise and government environments to provide runtime protection, network segmentation, and compliance for Kubernetes clusters and containerized workloads. The Enforcer component is responsible for real-time policy enforcement and network inspection on every node, making vulnerabilities in this component especially impactful.
Technical Information
CVE-2025-54469 is a command injection vulnerability in the monitor process of the NeuVector Enforcer container. When the Enforcer container stops, the monitor process checks if the consul subprocess has exited. To do this, it constructs a shell command using the values of the CLUSTER_RPC_PORT and CLUSTER_LAN_PORT environment variables and executes it via the popen function.
The critical flaw is that these environment variables are used directly in the shell command without any validation or sanitization. If an attacker can control the values of these variables, they can inject shell metacharacters and arbitrary commands. For example, setting CLUSTER_RPC_PORT to a value like 18301; malicious_command; # would cause the shell to execute malicious_command with the privileges of the monitor process, which typically runs as root inside the container.
This vulnerability is classified under CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command). It allows attackers to execute arbitrary commands inside the Enforcer container, potentially leading to full compromise of the node and lateral movement within the Kubernetes cluster. Exploitation requires the attacker to modify the Enforcer's environment variables, which may be possible through Kubernetes manifests, Docker Compose files, or other container orchestration configurations if access controls are weak.
No public code snippets are available for the vulnerable code path, but the mechanism is confirmed in multiple advisories and vendor documentation.
Patch Information
In response to the identified vulnerabilities in NeuVector's enforcer component, the development team has implemented a crucial update to enhance security. Previously, the enforcer utilized the environment variables CLUSTER_RPC_PORT and CLUSTER_LAN_PORT to construct shell commands executed via the popen function. This approach lacked proper validation and sanitization, potentially allowing malicious command injection.
To mitigate this risk, the patched versions (5.4.7 and 5.3.5) introduce a significant change: the monitor process now directly invokes the consul subprocess without relying on shell commands. This direct invocation eliminates the possibility of command injection through manipulated environment variables.
By removing the dependency on shell command execution and ensuring that environment variables are not used unsafely, this update effectively addresses the vulnerabilities, thereby fortifying the security of the enforcer component.
Patch sources:
Affected Systems and Versions
CVE-2025-54469 affects NeuVector Enforcer in the following versions:
- All versions prior to 5.4.7
- All versions prior to 5.3.5
Any deployment where the Enforcer component is configured using unsanitized environment variables CLUSTER_RPC_PORT or CLUSTER_LAN_PORT is vulnerable. The risk is present in both Kubernetes and other container orchestration environments where these variables can be set by users or automation.
Vendor Security History
NeuVector has previously experienced critical vulnerabilities, most notably CVE-2023-32188, which involved insecure JWT token handling that allowed attackers to forge authentication tokens and perform unauthorized actions, including remote code execution. The vendor has demonstrated a proactive patch response for CVE-2025-54469, releasing fixes before public disclosure and providing clear upgrade guidance. However, the recurrence of input validation flaws highlights an area for ongoing improvement in secure coding practices.
