CVE-2025-11393 is a vulnerability identified in the Red Hat Runtimes Inventory Operator, specifically in the runtimes-inventory-rhel8-operator component. The root cause is an incorrect configuration of an internal proxy component that inadvertently attaches the cluster's main administrative credentials to all commands it receives, rather than limiting this privilege escalation to specific inventory report commands. This misconfiguration creates a 'confused deputy' scenario, where the proxy acts on behalf of the cluster administrator unintentionally. Consequently, any standard user with access to the cluster can send arbitrary commands through this proxy and execute them with full administrative privileges. This effectively bypasses intended access controls and allows unauthorized modification of cluster configuration or status on the Red Hat management platform. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 score of 8.7, reflecting high severity due to high impact on confidentiality and integrity, low attack complexity, and the requirement of only low privileges within the cluster. No user interaction is needed, and the scope is changed as the vulnerability allows privilege escalation within the cluster environment. Although no public exploits are currently known, the flaw represents a significant risk in Kubernetes or OpenShift clusters using this operator. The vulnerability was published on December 15, 2025, and no patches or mitigations are explicitly listed in the provided data, emphasizing the need for immediate attention from affected organizations.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the security and integrity of Kubernetes or OpenShift clusters that utilize the Red Hat Runtimes Inventory Operator. Attackers with standard user privileges could escalate their access to full cluster administrator rights, enabling unauthorized changes to cluster configurations, deployment of malicious workloads, or disruption of services. This could lead to data breaches, service outages, or compromise of sensitive applications running within the cluster. Given the widespread adoption of Red Hat OpenShift in enterprise environments across Europe, especially in sectors like finance, telecommunications, and government, the impact could be substantial. The confidentiality and integrity of critical workloads are at risk, potentially affecting compliance with GDPR and other regulatory frameworks. Additionally, the ability to manipulate cluster status or configuration could undermine operational stability and trust in managed cloud or hybrid environments. The lack of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk but does not diminish the urgency for mitigation due to the ease of exploitation and high privileges gained.

European organizations should immediately audit their Kubernetes/OpenShift environments to identify deployments of the Red Hat Runtimes Inventory Operator. Until an official patch is released, organizations should implement strict role-based access control (RBAC) policies to limit standard user permissions within clusters, minimizing the number of users who can interact with the proxy component. Network segmentation and isolation of management interfaces can reduce exposure. Monitoring and logging should be enhanced to detect unusual command activity or privilege escalations within the cluster. Organizations should also subscribe to Red Hat security advisories to apply patches promptly once available. Additionally, consider deploying runtime security tools that can detect anomalous behavior at the cluster level. Reviewing and hardening proxy configurations and internal communication channels within the cluster can help prevent exploitation. Finally, conduct internal penetration testing focused on privilege escalation paths related to this operator to identify and remediate weaknesses proactively.