CVE-2014-8750 in Compute (Nova)
Summary
by MITRE
Race condition in the VMware driver in OpenStack Compute (Nova) before 2014.1.4 and 2014.2 before 2014.2rc1 allows remote authenticated users to access unintended consoles by spawning an instance that triggers the same VNC port to be allocated to two different instances.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/30/2022
The vulnerability CVE-2014-8750 represents a critical race condition flaw within the VMware driver implementation of OpenStack Compute (Nova) service. This issue affects versions prior to 2014.1.4 for the 2014.1 release line and before 2014.2rc1 for the 2014.2 release line, creating a significant security gap in cloud infrastructure management. The race condition occurs during the instance spawning process when multiple concurrent operations attempt to allocate VNC ports, leading to potential port conflicts that compromise system integrity and user isolation.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate synchronization mechanisms within the VMware driver's port allocation logic. When multiple instances are spawned simultaneously, the system fails to properly coordinate VNC port assignment, allowing two distinct virtual machines to receive identical port allocations. This race condition creates an unintended access vector where authenticated users can potentially gain access to consoles belonging to other instances running on the same hypervisor. The vulnerability specifically targets the VNC console access mechanism, which serves as a primary interface for administrators and users to interact with virtual machines.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple port conflicts to encompass serious security implications for cloud environments. Remote authenticated users can exploit this weakness to access unintended console sessions, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive data and system resources belonging to other tenants. This cross-tenant access violation directly violates fundamental cloud security principles and can lead to data breaches, service disruption, and unauthorized system manipulation. The vulnerability affects multi-tenant cloud deployments where proper isolation between different users and their virtual environments is paramount for maintaining security boundaries.
The exploitation of this race condition demonstrates a clear violation of the principle of least privilege and proper resource isolation. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform unauthorized access to other users' virtual machine consoles, potentially leading to information disclosure, system compromise, and denial of service conditions. This flaw also aligns with attack patterns described in the ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and credential access tactics, where attackers seek to expand their access within compromised systems. The vulnerability's impact is particularly severe in shared hosting environments where multiple customers rely on the cloud provider's security guarantees.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-8750 require immediate implementation of version updates to OpenStack Nova components, specifically upgrading to versions 2014.1.4 or 2014.2rc1 and later. Organizations should also implement additional monitoring mechanisms to detect unusual port allocation patterns and establish proper access controls for console interfaces. The fix addresses the underlying race condition through improved synchronization protocols and enhanced port allocation logic that prevents concurrent instances from receiving identical VNC port assignments. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments of their OpenStack deployments to ensure all affected components have been properly updated and that proper isolation mechanisms remain intact.