podman kube play symlink traversal vulnerability
### Impact The podman kube play command can overwrite host files when the kube file contains a ConfigMap or Secret volume mount and the volume already contains a symlink to a host file. This allows a malicious container to write to arbitrary files on the host BUT the attacker only controls the target path not the contents that will be written to the file. The contents are defined in the yaml file by the end user. ### Requirements to exploit: podman kube play must be used with a ConfigMap or Secret volume mount AND must be run more than once on the same volume. All the attacker has to do is create the malicious symlink on the volume the first time it is started. After that all following starts would follow the symlink and write to the host location. ### Patches Fixed in podman v5.6.1 https://github.com/containers/podman/commit/43fbde4e665fe6cee6921868f04b7ccd3de5ad89 ### Workarounds Don't use podman kube play with ConfigMap or Secret volume mounts. ### PR with test for CI Adding on 9/8/2025 by @TomSweeneyRedHat , this is the PR containing the test in CI: https://github.com/containers/podman/pull/27001
GHSA-wp3j-xq48-xpjw
Primary source · Revision 1
Imported from structured advisory data. Source references identify upstream records or fields; verify affected versions and your deployed configuration.
Security context
Source reference: osv:GHSA-wp3j-xq48-xpjw
github.com/containers/podman/v5
Source reference: /affected/0/package/name
- Affected versions
- Not stated in this record
- Fixed versions
- 5.6.1
Source reference:
/affected/0/ranges - Prerequisites
- Not stated in this record
github.com/containers/podman/v4
Source reference: /affected/1/package/name
- Affected versions
- Not stated in this record
- Fixed versions
- Not stated in this record
- Prerequisites
- Not stated in this record
Structured affected-version data
Original package identities and version rules from this source.
[
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "SEMVER",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "5.6.1"
}
]
}
],
"package": {
"name": "github.com/containers/podman/v5",
"purl": "pkg:golang/github.com/containers/podman/v5",
"ecosystem": "Go"
},
"database_specific": {
"source": "https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2025/09/GHSA-wp3j-xq48-xpjw/GHSA-wp3j-xq48-xpjw.json",
"last_known_affected_version_range": "<= 5.6.0"
}
},
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "SEMVER",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"last_affected": "4.9.5"
}
]
}
],
"package": {
"name": "github.com/containers/podman/v4",
"purl": "pkg:golang/github.com/containers/podman/v4",
"ecosystem": "Go"
},
"database_specific": {
"source": "https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2025/09/GHSA-wp3j-xq48-xpjw/GHSA-wp3j-xq48-xpjw.json"
}
}
]- Related CVEs
- CVE-2025-9566
Source reference:
/aliases
Publisher severity
high
Source reference: /database_specific/severity
- Event
- #21138 · Revision 1
- Added to Heist Feed
- Publisher date