CVE-2014-0204 in Keystone
Summary
by MITRE
OpenStack Identity (Keystone) before 2014.1.1 does not properly handle when a role is assigned to a group that has the same ID as a user, which allows remote authenticated users to gain privileges that are assigned to a group with the same ID.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/14/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-0204 represents a critical authorization flaw within OpenStack Identity service known as Keystone. This issue affects Keystone versions prior to 2014.1.1 and stems from improper handling of role assignments when group IDs collide with user IDs within the identity management system. The fundamental problem lies in the absence of proper ID namespace isolation between users and groups, creating a scenario where authentication and authorization decisions become compromised due to ambiguous identity references.
The technical flaw manifests when a role is assigned to a group that shares the same identifier as an existing user within the system. This collision creates a situation where the system cannot reliably distinguish between user and group identities during authorization checks, leading to potential privilege escalation. When an authenticated user attempts to access resources, the system may incorrectly grant permissions based on the group role assignment rather than the user's actual role, effectively allowing unauthorized access to resources that should be restricted to specific group memberships.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security implications for cloud environments relying on OpenStack Keystone for identity management. Attackers with valid authentication credentials can exploit this flaw to gain elevated privileges, potentially accessing sensitive resources, data, or administrative functions that are typically restricted to authorized group members. The impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it undermines the entire trust model of the identity management system, making it difficult for administrators to maintain proper access controls and audit trails.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and demonstrates how inadequate input validation and identity management can lead to security breaches. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this issue maps to privilege escalation techniques where adversaries leverage system weaknesses to gain higher-level permissions. Organizations using affected Keystone versions face the risk of unauthorized data access, potential system compromise, and violation of cloud security best practices. The flaw particularly affects multi-tenant cloud environments where proper segregation of duties is critical for maintaining security boundaries between different user groups and administrative domains.
Mitigation strategies include upgrading to Keystone version 2014.1.1 or later, which implements proper ID namespace separation between users and groups. Administrators should also conduct thorough audits of existing role assignments to identify potential ID collisions and implement robust identity management practices. Additional protective measures include implementing strict access control policies, monitoring for anomalous privilege usage patterns, and ensuring that identity management systems enforce proper namespace isolation to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future deployments.