CVE-2014-9684 in Image Registry And Delivery Service
Summary
by MITRE
OpenStack Image Registry and Delivery Service (Glance) 2014.2 through 2014.2.2 does not properly remove images, which allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (disk consumption) by creating a large number of images using the task v2 API and then deleting them before the uploads finish, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-1881.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/16/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-9684 affects OpenStack Image Registry and Delivery Service (Glance) versions 2014.2 through 2014.2.2, representing a critical flaw in the image management system that enables authenticated attackers to consume excessive disk resources through a specific denial of service attack pattern. This vulnerability specifically targets the task v2 API implementation within Glance, where the system fails to properly clean up image data during the deletion process, creating a persistent resource leak that can be exploited by malicious users.
The technical flaw stems from improper handling of image lifecycle management within the Glance service, particularly when processing images through the task v2 API. When authenticated users create numerous large images using this API endpoint, the system initiates asynchronous upload processes that may not complete successfully. During the deletion phase, the system does not adequately remove all associated temporary files and storage segments, leading to accumulation of orphaned data on the storage backend. This behavior creates a scenario where disk space consumption grows exponentially with each attempted image deletion, ultimately exhausting available storage capacity and rendering the system unavailable to legitimate users.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant threat to cloud infrastructure stability and availability, particularly in environments where multiple authenticated users have access to Glance services. The attack pattern requires only authenticated access, making it relatively accessible to users with legitimate privileges who may wish to disrupt service availability. The vulnerability's potential for disk exhaustion can lead to complete service outages, data loss, and cascading failures that affect other components dependent on the storage infrastructure. The attack is particularly concerning because it can be executed without requiring administrative privileges or specialized knowledge beyond normal user access, making it an attractive vector for both malicious actors and disgruntled employees.
The attack methodology follows a well-defined pattern that leverages the asynchronous nature of image uploads and the incomplete cleanup process. Attackers create multiple large images through the task v2 API, initiate the upload process, and then immediately delete the images before the uploads complete. This timing creates a race condition where temporary storage segments are not properly disposed of during deletion, resulting in persistent disk consumption. The vulnerability is distinct from CVE-2015-1881, indicating it represents a separate code path or implementation flaw within the Glance service architecture. This distinction is important for security teams to understand the specific attack vectors and implement targeted mitigations.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as a variant of resource exhaustion attacks that align with CWE-400, which describes improper resource cleanup or resource leak conditions in software systems. The flaw also demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1499.001, specifically the use of resource consumption attacks to deny service availability. Organizations should implement monitoring solutions that track disk space utilization patterns and image creation/deletion activities to detect anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper asynchronous task cleanup mechanisms and the need for comprehensive testing of edge cases involving partial completion of long-running operations.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper resource cleanup procedures within the Glance service, including enhanced monitoring of storage utilization and automated alerts when disk consumption exceeds normal thresholds. System administrators should consider implementing rate limiting and quotas for image creation and deletion operations to prevent excessive resource consumption. The recommended approach involves patching the affected Glance versions to properly handle the cleanup process during image deletion operations, ensuring that all temporary files and storage segments are correctly removed regardless of upload completion status. Additionally, organizations should implement regular storage audits and automated cleanup processes to identify and remove orphaned data that may accumulate due to similar implementation flaws in other components of the OpenStack ecosystem.