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March 18, 2025
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How to Protect Your Multicluster Engine (MCE) and Advanced Cluster Management (ACM) from CVE-2025-2241- Unauthorized VCenter Credential Exposure
A critical security vulnerability, CVE-2025-2241, has been identified in Multicluster Engine (MCE) and Advanced Cluster Management (ACM). This flaw allows unauthorized exposure of vCenter credentials, potentially leading to significant security breaches. This article is crafted to assist security professionals in understanding, identifying, and remediating this vulnerability, ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of their cluster environments. We will explore the technical details, affected products, and actionable steps to safeguard your infrastructure against potential exploitation.
A Short Introduction to Multicluster Engine (MCE) and Advanced Cluster Management (ACM)
Multicluster Engine (MCE) and Advanced Cluster Management (ACM) are powerful tools designed to simplify the management of Kubernetes clusters across various environments, including on-premises, cloud, and hybrid infrastructures. They provide centralized control and visibility, enabling seamless application deployment, policy enforcement, and resource management across multiple clusters. MCE and ACM leverage components like Hive to provision and manage clusters, including those running on vSphere. These tools are essential for organizations adopting a multicluster strategy, but proper security measures are crucial to prevent vulnerabilities like CVE-2025-2241 from being exploited.
Summary of CVE-2025-2241
CVE ID: CVE-2025-2241
Description: Insecure Storage of Sensitive Information, leading to VCenter credential exposure within the ClusterProvision object.
CVSS Score: 8.2 (High)
CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
CVE-2025-2241 exposes vCenter credentials within the ClusterProvision object in Hive, a component of MCE and ACM, after a VSphere cluster is provisioned. This vulnerability allows users with read access to ClusterProvision objects to extract sensitive credentials, even if they lack direct access to Kubernetes Secrets. The vulnerability stems from the insecure storage of these credentials, making them accessible to unauthorized users within the cluster management system. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized VCenter access, cluster management manipulation, and privilege escalation.
Impact of CVE-2025-2241
The impact of CVE-2025-2241 is substantial. Exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to unauthorized access to VCenter, potentially compromising the entire cluster infrastructure. An attacker with low-privilege read access can extract sensitive credentials, enabling them to manage virtual machines, modify network configurations, and access sensitive data stored within the vSphere environment. This level of access can lead to significant data breaches, service disruptions, and reputational damage. The high integrity and confidentiality impact, as indicated by the CVSS score, highlights the severe risk this vulnerability poses to organizational security. Furthermore, the attacker could potentially escalate privileges within the cluster, gaining control over critical resources and further compromising the environment.
Products Affected by CVE-2025-2241
The following products are affected by CVE-2025-2241:
| Product | Version(s) Affected |
|---|---|
| Multicluster Engine (MCE) | All |
| Advanced Cluster Management (ACM) | All |
It's important to note that all versions of MCE and ACM are potentially affected by this vulnerability. Regularly monitoring official Red Hat advisory channels for updates and patches is crucial to ensure your environment is protected.
How to Check Your Product is Vulnerable?
To determine if your MCE or ACM deployment is vulnerable to CVE-2025-2241, follow these steps:
Check ClusterProvision Objects: Examine the
ClusterProvisionobjects within your MCE or ACM environment after provisioning a VSphere cluster. Usekubectlor the OpenShift CLI (oc) to inspect these objects.Look for Exposed Credentials: Within the
ClusterProvisionobject's YAML definition, search for fields that may contain vCenter credentials. The exact location may vary depending on the version and configuration.Review RBAC Permissions: Verify the Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) policies in your cluster. Identify users or groups with read access to
ClusterProvisionobjects. Even users with seemingly low-privilege access could exploit the vulnerability if they can read these objects.
Practically, you can use the following kubectl command to get the ClusterProvision object:
kubectl get clusterprovision -n <namespace> <clusterprovision_name> -o yamlReplace <namespace> and <clusterprovision_name> with the appropriate values. Then, carefully review the output for any exposed credentials. If you find any sensitive information within the ClusterProvision object and users with read access, your system is vulnerable.
How to Fix the Vulnerability?
Addressing CVE-2025-2241 requires immediate action to prevent unauthorized access to vCenter credentials. Here's a breakdown of the recommended steps:
Restrict Access to ClusterProvision Objects: The most immediate step is to restrict access to
ClusterProvisionobjects. Review your RBAC policies and limit read permissions to only those users and groups that absolutely require it. Implement the principle of least privilege to minimize the potential attack surface.Review and Limit Read Permissions: Broadly review and limit read permissions for all cluster-related resources, not just
ClusterProvisionobjects. Ensure that users only have the necessary permissions to perform their duties, preventing unnecessary exposure of sensitive information.Implement Additional Access Controls: Implement additional access controls around credential management. Consider using Kubernetes Secrets more effectively and leveraging external secret management solutions to further protect sensitive data.
Update MCE and ACM: The primary remediation strategy is to update your Multicluster Engine and Advanced Cluster Management deployments to the patched version released by Red Hat. Monitor official Red Hat advisory channels for security updates and patches related to this vulnerability and apply them as soon as they become available.
Rotate VCenter Credentials: As a precautionary measure, rotate the vCenter credentials that were potentially exposed. This will invalidate any existing credentials that may have been compromised, preventing further unauthorized access.
Since a patch is available, prioritize upgrading your MCE and ACM deployments to the patched version to fully resolve the vulnerability. Regularly monitor Red Hat's security advisories for any updates or additional guidance. By following these steps, you can significantly reduce the risk posed by CVE-2025-2241 and protect your cluster infrastructure from unauthorized access. Security misconfiguration is one of the main reasons for vulnerabilities. It's important to review your security logging to detect anomalies. Also, you should keep an eye on vulnerable components that might lead to security breaches.
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Arun KL
Arun KL is a cybersecurity professional with 15+ years of experience in IT infrastructure, cloud security, vulnerability management, Penetration Testing, security operations, and incident response. He is adept at designing and implementing robust security solutions to safeguard systems and data. Arun holds multiple industry certifications including CCNA, CCNA Security, RHCE, CEH, and AWS Security.
