Critical Vulnerability in Crowdstrike Falcon Sensor for Linux Enables TLS MiTM Exploits

CrowdStrike has disclosed a critical vulnerability (CVE-2025-1146) in its Falcon Sensor for Linux, its Falcon Kubernetes Admission Controller, and its Falcon Container Sensor.

This flaw stems from a validation logic error in the handling of TLS (Transport Layer Security) connections, potentially exposing affected systems to man-in-the-middle (MiTM) attacks.

The vulnerability underscores the importance of prompt patching to maintain security in enterprise environments.

The Vulnerability

The issue arises from improper validation of server certificates during TLS connections between the Falcon sensor and the CrowdStrike cloud.

This creates an opportunity for an attacker, with control over a network, to intercept and manipulate sensitive data in transit.

While no evidence of exploitation in the wild has been detected, CrowdStrike has rated the flaw as high severity, with a CVSS score of 8.1.

The vulnerability affects versions of the Falcon sensor for Linux, Kubernetes Admission Controller, and Container Sensor before 7.21.

Impacted Systems and Technical Details

Affected versions include Falcon sensors for Linux and related container tools with builds earlier than the following:

• Falcon Sensor: 7.21.17405 and later
• Kubernetes Admission Controller: 7.21.1904 and later
• Falcon Container Sensor: 7.21.6003 and later

The vulnerability is classified under CWE-296 (Improper Following of a Certificate’s Chain of Trust) and CAPEC-94 (Adversary-in-the-Middle).

Systems running outdated builds are considered at risk and require immediate remediation.

CrowdStrike identified the vulnerability during an internal review and has since released patches to address the flaw in impacted versions.

Updated versions—starting from 7.21—resolve the certificate validation issue.

The company has provided hotfixes for both supported and legacy versions, though it strongly recommends upgrading to the latest supported build for long-term security.

No performance degradation is expected or observed with these patches. Additionally, CrowdStrike’s threat intelligence and hunting teams are rigorously monitoring for any signs of exploitation related to this issue.

To mitigate the risk, CrowdStrike advises all affected organizations to:

1. Upgrade Sensors: Update Linux hosts, Kubernetes admission controllers, and container sensors to fixed versions or apply hotfixes promptly.
2. Replace Outdated Binaries: Ensure any deployment packages or orchestration tools are using the updated versions to prevent new installations with vulnerabilities.
3. Monitor for Detection: CrowdStrike Falcon Exposure Management has activated detections to help identify affected hosts and guide organizations toward remediation.

This vulnerability highlights the risks associated with TLS connection handling in critical infrastructure.

Organizations leveraging CrowdStrike’s Falcon products for Linux environments should act urgently to apply the recommended updates and maintain robust security postures.

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