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FreeBSD jail/chroot escape via directory file descriptor exchange across sibling jails

IdentifiersCVE-2025-15576CWE-863

CVE-2025-15576 is a FreeBSD jail subsystem flaw that can allow a jailed process to escape filesystem confinement (chroot-style restrictions) when directory file descriptors are exchanged between two sibling jails. In the vulnerable design, the kernel’s pathname lookup enforces jail-root containment by checking at each step whether traversal would descend below the current process’ jail root; if the jail root is not encountered, lookup continues. In a configuration where two sibling jails (with non-ancestor jail roots) share a directory via a nullfs mount and can communicate over a Unix domain socket, cooperating processes can pass directory descriptors. A process can receive a directory file descriptor that is outside/below its own jail root, and subsequent name lookups starting from that descriptor can bypass the jail-root containment checks, resulting in full filesystem access and effectively breaking jail/chroot isolation.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation results in a jail/chroot escape with full filesystem access from within the jail, enabling unauthorized read/write access to the host (or otherwise out-of-jail) filesystem. This can facilitate modification of critical system files, data theft, and follow-on actions that may lead to broader host compromise depending on other local conditions and privileges.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

No workaround is available per the advisory. Reduce exploitability by avoiding configurations where sibling jails share a nullfs-mounted directory that permits creation/use of Unix domain sockets and file-descriptor passing between jails. Additionally, ensure unprivileged users on the jail host cannot pass directory descriptors to jailed processes (this remains an administrative responsibility even after patching).

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Apply FreeBSD’s corrected code (a stable or releng/release-security branch dated after the correction date). For RELEASE systems, use freebsd-update fetch and freebsd-update install, then reboot. For source-based systems, apply the vendor patches (jail-14.patch for FreeBSD 14.3; jail-13.patch for FreeBSD 13.5) from https://security.FreeBSD.org/patches/SA-26:04/, rebuild the kernel, and reboot.
PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

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VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

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VendorProductType
FreebsdFreebsdapplication

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Threat actor evidence

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Associated malware

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Detection signatures

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Vendor-by-vendor mapping

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Social activity5

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