CVE-2025-46808 in neuvector
Summary
by MITRE • 09/09/2026
An Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File vulnerability in SUSE neuvector manager exposes sensitive information into the manager container’s log
This issue affects neuvector: before 5.4.5.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2026
The identified vulnerability represents a critical flaw within the logging mechanisms of the NeuVector Manager component, specifically affecting versions prior to 5.4.5. This security defect is classified as an Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File, which aligns with CWE-532 in the Common Weakness Enumeration taxonomy. The core technical issue stems from improper sanitization or filtering logic within the application's logging subsystem. When specific operations are executed by the NeuVector Manager container, sensitive data such as authentication tokens, session identifiers, API keys, or potentially user credentials are inadvertently written to standard log files without adequate masking or redaction procedures. This failure occurs because the developer did not implement strict controls over what variables are passed to the logging functions, allowing high-value secrets to be persisted in plaintext within system logs that may have broader access permissions than intended for such sensitive material.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality and integrity of the containerized environment managed by NeuVector. Log files are often accessible to multiple roles within an organization, including DevOps engineers, system administrators, and monitoring tools like ELK Stack or Splunk agents that aggregate logs for analysis. If these log sources do not have rigorous access controls, any individual with read access to the log infrastructure can extract the exposed sensitive information. This exposure facilitates unauthorized access attacks where attackers leverage stolen credentials or tokens to bypass authentication mechanisms, escalate privileges within the Kubernetes cluster, or exfiltrate data from protected workloads. The impact is compounded by the fact that logs are frequently retained for extended periods and backed up to remote storage systems, increasing the window of opportunity for exploitation even after the initial incident has occurred.
This vulnerability maps directly to several tactics in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to Credential Access and Discovery. Specifically, it aligns with T1552.004 Unsecured Credentials found in logs, which describes how adversaries search log files for sensitive information such as passwords or keys. By exploiting this flaw, an attacker can perform passive reconnaissance without triggering typical intrusion detection alerts associated with active exploitation attempts. The persistence of these credentials in logs means that even if the immediate vulnerability is patched, previously generated logs may still contain exploitable data unless they are purged or rotated securely. This creates a lingering threat vector that requires proactive log management strategies to mitigate effectively.
To remediate this issue and prevent future occurrences, organizations must immediately upgrade NeuVector Manager to version 5.4.5 or later where the logging logic has been corrected to exclude sensitive fields from output streams. Beyond the software update, it is essential to implement comprehensive log sanitization policies across all containerized environments. This includes configuring application-level filters that explicitly mask patterns resembling secrets, tokens, and passwords before they are written to disk or forwarded to external monitoring systems. Additionally, access controls on log storage locations should be strictly enforced using role-based access control principles to ensure that only authorized security personnel can view raw logs containing potential sensitive data. Regular auditing of log content for accidental leakage and implementing automated secret scanning tools in CI/CD pipelines will further reduce the risk profile associated with this class of vulnerability.