CVE-2014-2573 in Compute
Summary
by MITRE
The VMWare driver in OpenStack Compute (Nova) 2013.2 through 2013.2.2 does not properly put VMs into RESCUE status, which allows remote authenticated users to bypass the quota limit and cause a denial of service (resource consumption) by requesting the VM be put into rescue and then deleting the image.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/09/2026
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-2573 represents a critical flaw in the OpenStack Compute (Nova) component that affects versions 2013.2 through 2013.2.2. This issue specifically targets the VMware driver implementation within Nova's orchestration layer, creating a significant security gap that enables malicious actors to exploit resource management controls. The flaw stems from improper handling of virtual machine states during the rescue operation process, fundamentally undermining the system's ability to enforce resource quotas and maintain operational integrity.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability lies in the insufficient state management logic within the VMware driver when transitioning virtual machines into RESCUE mode. When an authenticated user requests a VM to be placed into rescue status, the system fails to properly account for the resources consumed during this process. This misconfiguration allows attackers to repeatedly initiate rescue operations without proper resource allocation tracking, effectively bypassing the quota enforcement mechanisms that should prevent excessive resource consumption. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of resource management and state transition controls, creating a persistent access point for unauthorized resource exploitation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple resource consumption issues to encompass broader system stability and security posture concerns. Remote authenticated users can leverage this flaw to exhaust available resources through repeated rescue requests, leading to denial of service conditions that affect legitimate users and system performance. The vulnerability enables a form of resource starvation attack where attackers can consume system resources indefinitely, potentially causing cascading failures throughout the OpenStack deployment. This issue directly violates the principle of least privilege and resource isolation that fundamental to cloud computing security models.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK framework techniques including privilege escalation and resource exhaustion, while also mapping to CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) classifications. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation and state management practices that have been documented in similar cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities. Organizations using affected OpenStack versions face significant operational risks including service degradation, potential data loss, and compromised multi-tenant isolation. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for attackers to perform reconnaissance activities by observing resource consumption patterns and system behavior under stress conditions.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-2573 require immediate patching of affected OpenStack Nova components to the corrected versions that properly implement rescue state management. System administrators should implement additional monitoring controls to detect unusual rescue operation patterns and resource consumption spikes. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit the number of authenticated users with permissions to initiate rescue operations. Organizations should also consider implementing resource quotas that are enforced at multiple layers of the system to provide defense in depth. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper state machine implementation in cloud orchestration systems and underscores the need for comprehensive testing of resource management controls in virtualized environments.