CVE-2014-3520 in Keystone
Summary
by MITRE
OpenStack Identity (Keystone) before 2013.2.4, 2014.x before 2014.1.2, and Juno before Juno-2 allows remote authenticated trustees to gain access to an unauthorized project for which the trustor has certain roles via the project ID in a V2 API trust token request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/03/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-3520 affects OpenStack Identity service known as Keystone, specifically targeting versions prior to 2013.2.4, 2014.x prior to 2014.1.2, and Juno releases before Juno-2. This represents a critical authorization bypass flaw that undermines the trust model implemented within OpenStack's identity management system. The vulnerability resides in the V2 API trust token request mechanism where authenticated trustees can exploit a flaw in project ID validation to access projects they should not be authorized to reach.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper validation of project identifiers during trust token requests within Keystone's V2 API implementation. When a trustee makes a request to obtain a trust token, the system fails to properly verify that the project ID specified in the request corresponds to a project where the trustor actually holds the necessary roles. This allows malicious actors who have been granted trust relationships to manipulate the project ID parameter and gain access to resources within projects they would otherwise be denied access to based on their role assignments. The vulnerability essentially enables privilege escalation through improper access control enforcement.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it allows authenticated attackers to bypass the intended access control mechanisms within OpenStack environments. A malicious trustee could potentially access sensitive data, modify resources, or perform administrative actions within projects they should not have access to, leading to data breaches, unauthorized modifications, and potential system compromise. This flaw particularly affects multi-tenant cloud environments where proper isolation between projects is critical for security and compliance. The vulnerability undermines the fundamental security principle of least privilege that OpenStack aims to enforce through its identity and access management system.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 related to valid accounts and privilege escalation. Organizations using affected OpenStack versions should immediately implement the available patches and updates to address this authorization bypass. The mitigation strategy involves upgrading to patched versions of Keystone that properly validate project IDs in trust token requests, implementing additional monitoring of trust relationships, and conducting thorough access control reviews. Administrators should also consider implementing network segmentation and additional logging mechanisms to detect unauthorized access attempts that might exploit this vulnerability. The fix typically involves strengthening input validation and ensuring that trust token requests are properly authenticated against the trustor's actual role assignments within the specified project context.