CVE-2025-54467 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting SUSE's NeuVector product, specifically version 5.0.0. The issue arises from insufficient protection of credentials (classified under CWE-522) when a Java command containing password parameters is executed and subsequently terminated by NeuVector due to a Process rule violation. In this scenario, the password parameters are inadvertently logged in plaintext within the NeuVector security event logs. This exposure occurs because the logging mechanism does not sanitize or mask sensitive information before writing to the logs. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3, indicating a medium level of severity. The vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N) shows that the attack can be performed remotely over the network without any privileges or user interaction, but the impact is limited to confidentiality loss of the password data only, with no impact on integrity or availability. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches have been published yet. This vulnerability could allow an attacker who has access to the NeuVector event logs or can intercept them to retrieve sensitive credentials, potentially leading to further unauthorized access or lateral movement within the environment.

For European organizations using SUSE NeuVector 5.0.0, this vulnerability poses a confidentiality risk by exposing sensitive password information in security event logs. If attackers gain access to these logs, either through compromised systems, insider threats, or insufficient log access controls, they could extract credentials and leverage them to escalate privileges or move laterally within the network. This risk is particularly significant for organizations with strict data protection requirements under GDPR, as exposure of credentials could lead to unauthorized access to personal data, resulting in regulatory penalties and reputational damage. Additionally, organizations in sectors such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure, which often deploy container security solutions like NeuVector, may face heightened risk due to the sensitive nature of their workloads. The vulnerability does not directly impact system availability or integrity, but the indirect consequences of credential compromise could be severe if exploited in a targeted attack.

To mitigate this vulnerability, European organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Restrict access to NeuVector security event logs strictly to authorized personnel only, using role-based access controls and audit logging to detect unauthorized access attempts. 2) Monitor logs for any indication of password exposure and implement automated alerting for suspicious log entries containing sensitive data patterns. 3) Avoid passing passwords as command-line parameters in Java commands or any other processes monitored by NeuVector; instead, use secure methods such as environment variables or secure credential stores that do not expose secrets in process arguments. 4) Apply network segmentation and strong access controls around systems running NeuVector to limit exposure of logs and reduce the attack surface. 5) Regularly review and update NeuVector configurations and rules to ensure they do not inadvertently log sensitive information. 6) Stay informed about SUSE’s security advisories and apply patches promptly once available. 7) Consider encrypting log storage and transmission channels to protect log confidentiality.