Docker Registry Access Flaw Lets macOS Users Pull Images from Any Registry

A newly disclosed vulnerability (CVE-2025-4095) in Docker Desktop for macOS exposes organizations to risks of unauthorized container registry access when using configuration profiles for sign-in enforcement.

Rated medium severity (CVSS 4.3), this flaw allows developers to bypass Registry Access Management (RAM) policies, potentially enabling the retrieval of unapproved or malicious container images.

Technical Breakdown of CVE-2025-4095

Affected Components

Aspect	Details
Impacted Software	Docker Desktop for MacOS
Vulnerable Versions	4.36.0 to 4.41.0 (exclusive)
Patched Version	4.41.0 and later
Root Cause	Missing authorization checks (CWE-862)

The vulnerability occurs when organizations enforce sign-in via macOS configuration profiles.

Under these conditions, RAM policies designed to restrict image pulls to approved registries fail to activate.

Administrators might erroneously assume policy enforcement is active, while developers retain unrestricted access to public or malicious registries.

bash# Verify RAM policy status (pre-patch output shows false enforcement)
docker info | grep -i "Registry Access Management"

Mitigation and Remediation

Organizations must:

1. Update Docker Desktop to v4.41.0 or later.
2. Audit configuration profiles to ensure RAM policies activate post-sign-in.
3. Monitor registry access logs for anomalous pull attempts.

Risk Factor	Mitigation Strategy
Malicious image ingestion	Implement image vulnerability scanning
Policy misconfiguration	Use declarative Infrastructure-as-Code templates
Legacy system exposure	Enforce centralized version management

Broader Implications for Container Security

This vulnerability highlights critical gaps in policy enforcement mechanisms for containerized environments:

• Configuration profile conflicts: MacOS-specific management tools may inadvertently disable security controls.
• Least privilege challenges: Over 68% of organizations using Docker Desktop rely on RAM policies for registry governance.
• Supply chain risks: Unvetted images from unauthorized registries often contain vulnerabilities or malware.

Security teams should adopt a layered defense strategy:

bash# Example: Combine RAM policies with image signing verification
docker trust inspect --pretty [image_name]

Industry Response and Timeline

• April 25, 2025: Initial disclosure by Docker’s security team.
• April 29, 2025: CVE publication and patch release.
• Post-patch: Docker updated its configuration profile documentation to clarify RAM policy dependencies.

This incident underscores the importance of proactive container governance in multi-registry environments.

Organizations using Docker Desktop on macOS should prioritize immediate patching and policy reevaluation to mitigate supply chain exploitation risks.

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