Introduction
Deploying a Kubernetes YAML with a malicious ConfigMap or Secret volume is enough to overwrite any file on the host system. That is the risk CVE-2025-9566 poses in Podman, and it affects a wide range of containerized environments that rely on the kube play command for workload orchestration.
Podman is an open-source container engine developed by Red Hat. It is a core part of the Red Hat container ecosystem and is widely used as a secure, rootless alternative to Docker. Podman powers container workflows in Red Hat OpenShift, and enterprise Linux environments around the world have adopted it for its security focus and compatibility with Kubernetes.
Technical information
CVE-2025-9566 is a symlink traversal vulnerability in Podman's kube play command. The flaw triggers when podman kube play processes a Kubernetes YAML configuration that includes a ConfigMap or Secret volume mount. If the volume contains a symbolic link (symlink) that points to a file path on the host system, Podman does not properly restrict file operations to the intended volume directory.
The exploitation scenario runs in three steps:
- An attacker crafts or modifies a ConfigMap or Secret volume so that it contains a symlink to a sensitive or critical host file (for example,
/etc/passwd). - The attacker makes sure the volume is reused across multiple kube play operations, which creates a race condition or another opening to manipulate the symlink.
- When podman kube play processes the YAML, it follows the symlink and overwrites the target host file with content from the YAML-defined ConfigMap or Secret.
Technical details:
- The attacker controls which host file is overwritten but cannot control the content, which comes from the YAML configuration.
- The issue is path traversal through symlink resolution, classified as CWE-22.
- No elevated privileges are required. Any user who can supply or modify the YAML and volume content can exploit the flaw.
- The vulnerability exists only when ConfigMap or Secret volumes are involved and contain symlinks to host files.
As of this writing, no public code snippets or PoC are available.
Patch information
A security patch for CVE-2025-9566 has been released. It changes how the podman kube play command handles symlinks, to prevent unauthorized file overwrites on the host system.
The fix updates the volume mount processing logic to detect and properly handle symlinks that could lead to path traversal attacks. It applies stricter validation and sanitization to volume mount paths so that symlinks cannot be exploited to overwrite unintended files on the host.
Users should apply the patch promptly. It is available through the vendor's official channels, and the vendor's security advisory has detailed instructions for applying it.
Patch sources:
Affected systems and versions
- Product: Podman
- Affected versions: 4.0.0 through 5.6.0
- Fixed in: 5.6.1 and later
- Vulnerable configurations: Systems using podman kube play with ConfigMap or Secret volume mounts containing symlinks to host file paths
Vendor security history
Podman, maintained by Red Hat, has previously addressed container escape and filesystem isolation vulnerabilities. A comparable case is Kubernetes CVE-2021-25741, which involved similar symlink traversal issues in volume mounts. Red Hat typically responds quickly with coordinated patches and advisories across its products. Podman's rootless architecture and security focus have earned it a reputation as a trusted container engine, but complex features like kube play have introduced subtle security problems.
