CVE-2025-54997 | OpenBao: Privileged Operator May Execute Code on the Underlying Host

OpenBao exists to provide a software solution to manage, store, and distribute sensitive data including secrets, certificates, and keys. In versions 2.3.1 and below, some OpenBao deployments intentionally limit privileged API operators from executing system code or making network connections. However, these operators can bypass both restrictions through the audit subsystem by manipulating log prefixes. This allows unauthorized code execution and network access that violates the intended security model. This issue is fixed in version 2.3.2. To workaround, users can block access to sys/audit/* endpoints using explicit deny policies, but root operators cannot be restricted this way.

Published: 2025-08-09 Last update: 2025-08-13 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Analyzed，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2025-54997 is rated Moderate Risk (53.6/100): CVSS Critical severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.26%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2025-54997

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-05-05 0.15% 0.26% +0.10%
2 2026-03-15 0.06% 0.15% +0.09%
3 2025-08-14 — 0.06% —

Full EPSS history (4 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2025-54997

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
9.1 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 2.3 6.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2025-54997

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2025-54997

GHSA-xp75-r577-cvhp · Severity: critical · Ecosystem: go — Privileged OpenBao Operator May Execute Code on the Underlying Host

OS Trackers for CVE-2025-54997

vendor priority summary link
alpine critical CVE-2025-54997: 1 source package rows (openbao); 20 state rows across 2 repos (3.22-community, edge-community); fixed 2, open 18. https://security.alpinelinux.org/vuln/CVE-2025-54997

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2025-54997

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
openbao openbao < 2.3.2 cpe:2.3:a:openbao:openbao:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2025-54997

cvelogic Threat Intelligence