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Openshift Container PlatformApplication · Redhat

CVE-2025-12801

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
A vulnerability was recently discovered in the rpc.mountd daemon in the nfs-utils package for Linux, that allows a NFSv3 client to escalate the privileges assigned to it in the /etc/exports file at mount time. In particular, it allows the client to access any subdirectory or subtree of an exported directory, regardless of the set file permissions, and regardless of any 'root_squash' or 'all_squash' attributes that would normally be expected to apply to that client.

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 · moderate confidence

The rpc.mountd daemon in nfs-utils fails to properly enforce access controls specified in /etc/exports for NFSv3 mounts. Specifically, the daemon does not correctly validate subdirectory paths against export constraints, allowing a client to access any subtree of an exported directory while bypassing root_squash, all_squash, and standard file permission restrictions.

MitigationUpdate nfs-utils to the latest patched version once available. In the interim, review and restrict exports to only the minimum necessary directories, and monitor for unauthorized access attempts.

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:= 4.0
Enterprise LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 6.0= 7.0= 8.0= 9.0= 10.0
Nfs UtilsApplication
Affected:all versions

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

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

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 nfs-utils version
    Run 'rpm -q nfs-utils' (RHEL) or check your package manager for nfs-utils version. On some systems, 'nfsd --version' or 'rpc.mountd --version' may also show version info.
    Affected if The installed version is any version (all versions of nfs-utils are affected according to the CVE)
  2. Confirm rpc.mountd is running
    Run 'rpcinfo -p' or 'systemctl status rpc-mountd' (or 'service rpc-mountd status') to check if the mountd daemon is active. Also check for 'rpc.mountd' processes with 'ps aux | grep mountd'.
    Affected if rpc.mountd is actively running - the vulnerability only applies when this daemon is in use
  3. Review /etc/exports configuration
    Inspect the contents of /etc/exports (or 'exportfs -v' for currently exported directories). Look for any export entries that grant broad access to directory trees, particularly those without strict subdirectory constraints.
    Affected if The system has exports defined that could allow subdirectory access beyond intended boundaries - especially exports with wide IP access ranges or without explicit subdirectory restrictions
  4. Check if NFSv3 is enabled
    Check /etc/nfs.conf or /etc/sysconfig/nfs for NFSv3 settings. Also run 'nfsstat -c' or examine mount options on active mounts to see if NFSv3 (vers=3) is in use.
    Affected if NFSv3 protocol is enabled or actively used - the vulnerability specifically affects NFSv3 mounts
  5. Verify export constraints in /etc/exports
    Examine each export line in /etc/exports for proper path matching and access controls. Look for whether each export explicitly defines the exact exported path and whether root_squash or all_squash options are properly set.
    Affected if Exports lack proper subdirectory path validation or are missing root_squash/all_squash options - these are the specific controls that can be bypassed

A system is affected if it runs any version of nfs-utils with rpc.mountd active, has NFSv3 exports configured, and those exports lack proper subdirectory path constraints or are missing squash options.

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

Update nfs-utils to the latest patched version once available. In the interim, review and restrict exports to only the minimum necessary directories, and monitor for unauthorized access attempts.

Fix this in Openshift Container Platform Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,280
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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-2025-12801 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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