CVE-2014-5253 in Keystone
Summary
by MITRE
OpenStack Identity (Keystone) 2014.1.x before 2014.1.2.1 and Juno before Juno-3 does not properly revoke tokens when a domain is invalidated, which allows remote authenticated users to retain access via a domain-scoped token for that domain.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/28/2022
OpenStack Identity service known as Keystone serves as the central authentication and authorization component for OpenStack cloud environments. The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-5253 affects specific versions of the Keystone service where token revocation mechanisms fail to properly invalidate domain-scoped tokens when a domain becomes invalidated. This represents a critical security flaw that directly impacts the principle of least privilege and access control within cloud infrastructure deployments. The vulnerability exists in the 2014.1.x release line before 2014.1.2.1 and in the Juno release line before Juno-3, indicating this was a widespread issue affecting multiple OpenStack release branches.
The technical flaw stems from improper token management within Keystone's authorization framework. When a domain is invalidated or removed from the system, the service should automatically revoke all tokens associated with that domain, particularly domain-scoped tokens that grant access to resources within that specific domain. However, the vulnerability allows authenticated users to retain access privileges even after their domain has been invalidated. This occurs because the token revocation process fails to properly traverse the domain hierarchy and invalidate tokens that were scoped to the now-invalidated domain. The flaw creates a persistent access vector that bypasses normal authentication controls and authorization checks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for cloud environments relying on OpenStack Keystone for identity management. An attacker who gains access to a valid token for a domain that is subsequently invalidated can continue to operate within that domain's scope, potentially accessing sensitive data, performing administrative actions, or maintaining persistence within the cloud infrastructure. This vulnerability directly violates the fundamental security principle that revoked credentials should immediately lose access to protected resources. The attack vector is authenticated, meaning that legitimate users with valid tokens can exploit this weakness, making it particularly dangerous for environments where token management is critical. This issue falls under CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1548.001 for Abuse of Cloud Administration Tools, where unauthorized access persists despite administrative actions to revoke credentials.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately apply the security patches released in Keystone versions 2014.1.2.1 and Juno-3. The mitigation strategy involves ensuring that all domain invalidation operations properly trigger token revocation across the entire token hierarchy. System administrators should also implement additional monitoring to detect unauthorized token usage patterns and regularly audit token revocation events. The fix addresses the core issue by implementing proper token invalidation logic that ensures domain-scoped tokens are revoked when their associated domain is invalidated. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper token lifecycle management in cloud environments and highlights the need for comprehensive testing of authorization mechanisms during security updates and releases.