CVE-2013-6426 in Heat
Summary
by MITRE
The cloudformation-compatible API in OpenStack Orchestration API (Heat) before Havana 2013.2.1 and Icehouse before icehouse-2 does not properly enforce policy rules, which allows local in-instance users to bypass intended access restrictions and (1) create a stack via the CreateStack method or (2) update a stack via the UpdateStack method.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/11/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-6426 represents a critical authorization flaw within OpenStack Heat's orchestration service that undermines the security model designed to protect cloud infrastructure deployments. This issue affects versions of OpenStack Heat prior to Havana 2013.2.1 and Icehouse before icehouse-2, where the cloudformation-compatible API fails to properly enforce policy rules that should restrict access to stack creation and modification operations. The flaw specifically targets local in-instance users who can exploit this weakness to bypass intended access controls and execute unauthorized stack operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient policy enforcement mechanisms within Heat's API layer, where the system fails to validate user permissions before processing CreateStack and UpdateStack method calls. This allows attackers with local access to instances within the cloud environment to escalate their privileges and perform operations that should be restricted to authorized administrators or specific user roles. The vulnerability operates at the application level within the orchestration service, leveraging the fact that local users can interact with the Heat API endpoints without proper authentication checks being enforced.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it enables attackers to manipulate cloud infrastructure deployments through stack operations that can fundamentally alter the cloud environment. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can create new stacks containing malicious resources or configurations, potentially leading to data exfiltration, service disruption, or further lateral movement within the cloud infrastructure. The ability to update existing stacks provides additional attack surface for modifying deployed resources and potentially introducing backdoors or other malicious configurations.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization in software systems, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts, as the exploitation relies on local in-instance access rather than external network attacks. The flaw demonstrates a classic case of insufficient access control enforcement where the system assumes that local users are trusted without proper validation of their authorization status. Organizations using affected OpenStack versions face significant risk of unauthorized infrastructure manipulation and potential compromise of their cloud deployment integrity.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-6426 require immediate patching of affected OpenStack Heat installations to versions that properly enforce policy rules. Administrators should also implement additional monitoring of stack creation and update operations to detect anomalous activity patterns. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit local in-instance access where possible. The fix implemented in subsequent versions addresses the root cause by ensuring that all API calls undergo proper policy validation before execution, preventing unauthorized users from bypassing access controls through the orchestration service.