dbcve.org
Openshift Container PlatformApplication · Redhat

CVE-2020-1706

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-03-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
It has been found that in openshift-enterprise version 3.11 and openshift-enterprise versions 4.1 up to, including 4.3, multiple containers modify the permissions of /etc/passwd to make them modifiable by users other than root. An attacker with access to the running container can exploit this to modify /etc/passwd to add a user and escalate their privileges. This CVE is specific to the openshift/apb-tools-container.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

In OpenShift Enterprise 3.11 and 4.1-4.3, multiple containers (specifically openshift/apb-tools-container) incorrectly modify /etc/passwd permissions to allow modification by non-root users. An attacker with container access can exploit this to add arbitrary users to /etc/passwd and escalate to root privileges.

MitigationRestrict /etc/passwd permissions to read-only (644 or stricter) in container images, and ensure containers run with non-root users and appropriate security contexts to prevent modification of system files.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Openshift Container PlatformApplication
Affected:= 3.11= 4.1= 4.2= 4.3

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify OpenShift version
    Run 'oc version' or 'kubectl version --client' to get the OpenShift server version, or check the cluster version with 'oc get clusterversion -o yaml'
    Affected if Version is 3.11, 4.1, 4.2, or 4.3 - these are the affected versions
  2. Locate apb-tools-container in the cluster
    Search for pods/deployments with image name containing 'apb-tools' using 'oc get pods -A -o jsonpath={.items[*].spec.containers[*].image}' | grep -i apb or check your image registry
    Affected if The apb-tools-container image is deployed in the environment - this is the vulnerable container
  3. Inspect /etc/passwd permissions inside the container
    Exec into the container (oc exec -it <pod> -- /bin/sh) and run 'ls -la /etc/passwd' to check permissions
    Affected if Permissions are 644 or stricter (read-only for non-root) - NOT vulnerable. If permissions allow write (e.g., 666, 646, or are missing), THEN the environment is affected
  4. Verify container security context
    Check pod spec for 'runAsNonRoot' and 'runAsUser' settings with 'oc get pod <podname> -o yaml | grep -A 10 securityContext', or review the SCC (Security Context Constraint) applied
    Affected if Containers run as root (runAsNonRoot=false or runAsUser=0) AND /etc/passwd is writable - this combination enables the privilege escalation
  5. Check for unauthorized users in /etc/passwd
    Inside the container, run 'cat /etc/passwd' and compare against the base image expected users. Look for unexpected entries with UID 0 or high-numbered UIDs added
    Affected if Additional unauthorized users exist in /etc/passwd - this indicates the vulnerability has been exploited

You are affected if running OpenShift 3.11, 4.1, 4.2, or 4.3 AND the apb-tools-container is present with /etc/passwd permissions writable by non-root users (stricter than 644).

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Restrict /etc/passwd permissions to read-only (644 or stricter) in container images, and ensure containers run with non-root users and appropriate security contexts to prevent modification of system files.

Fix this in Openshift Container Platform Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-1706 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-1706 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data