CVE-2025-54469 is an OS command injection vulnerability classified under CWE-78 affecting the NeuVector enforcer component in SUSE products. The vulnerability arises because the monitor process inside the enforcer container uses the popen function to execute shell commands that check the status of the consul subprocess by referencing environment variables CLUSTER_RPC_PORT and CLUSTER_LAN_PORT. These environment variables are incorporated directly into the shell command string without any sanitization or validation, allowing an attacker with control over these variables to inject arbitrary shell commands. Since popen executes commands in a shell context, injected commands can run with the privileges of the enforcer container process, which typically has elevated permissions within the container environment. This can lead to full compromise of the container and potentially the host system, depending on container isolation. The vulnerability affects NeuVector versions 5.3.0, 5.4.0, and a specific build identified as 0.0.0-20230727023453-1c4957d53911. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 9.9, indicating critical severity with network attack vector, low attack complexity, requiring privileges but no user interaction, and complete impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the ease of exploitation and critical impact make this a high-priority issue. The vulnerability was published on October 30, 2025, and is currently in the published state with no patches linked at the time of reporting.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk especially for those deploying NeuVector as part of their container security strategy. Successful exploitation can lead to arbitrary code execution within the enforcer container, potentially allowing attackers to escalate privileges, move laterally within containerized environments, exfiltrate sensitive data, disrupt container operations, or deploy ransomware. Given the critical nature of containerized workloads in sectors such as finance, healthcare, telecommunications, and critical infrastructure across Europe, the impact could be severe. Confidentiality breaches could expose personal data protected under GDPR, leading to regulatory penalties. Integrity and availability impacts could disrupt business operations and critical services. The vulnerability’s exploitation does not require user interaction, increasing the risk of automated attacks. Organizations relying on SUSE NeuVector for Kubernetes or container orchestration security should consider this a high-risk threat vector.

1. Apply official patches from SUSE as soon as they become available to address this vulnerability. 2. Until patches are released, restrict the ability to set or modify environment variables CLUSTER_RPC_PORT and CLUSTER_LAN_PORT within container deployment configurations and orchestration platforms. 3. Implement strict input validation and sanitization for any environment variables used in command execution contexts. 4. Use container runtime security tools to monitor and block suspicious popen or shell command executions originating from the enforcer container. 5. Employ least privilege principles for container processes, limiting the permissions of the enforcer container to reduce potential impact. 6. Conduct thorough security audits of container images and deployment manifests to detect unauthorized environment variable injection. 7. Monitor logs and alerts for unusual activity related to the consul subprocess or the enforcer container’s monitor process. 8. Consider network segmentation and isolation of container management components to limit exposure. 9. Educate DevOps and security teams about the risks of unsanitized environment variables in containerized environments.