CVE-2015-7514 in Ironic
Summary
by MITRE
OpenStack Ironic 4.2.0 through 4.2.1 does not "clean" the disk after use, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain sensitive information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/14/2019
OpenStack Ironic represents a critical infrastructure component within cloud environments, serving as the bare metal provisioning service that manages and provisions physical servers. The vulnerability described in CVE-2015-7514 affects versions 4.2.0 through 4.2.1 of this service, specifically addressing a security flaw in the disk cleaning process. This issue manifests when the system fails to properly sanitize storage devices after their use, creating potential data leakage scenarios. The vulnerability impacts remote authenticated users who can exploit this weakness to access sensitive information that should have been securely erased from the system. The flaw occurs at the storage management level where temporary or reused disk images are not adequately cleaned between operations, leaving residual data accessible to unauthorized parties. This represents a significant concern for organizations relying on OpenStack Ironic for managing sensitive workloads and data processing environments. The security implications extend beyond simple information disclosure, as the retained data could include confidential system information, user credentials, or proprietary business data that remains accessible through the improperly cleaned storage devices. This vulnerability directly relates to CWE-200, which addresses improper output handling and information exposure, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1005 for data from local system. The operational impact affects organizations using OpenStack Ironic for provisioning bare metal servers where data security is paramount, particularly in regulated environments where information retention policies must be strictly enforced. The flaw demonstrates a failure in the system's principle of least privilege and proper resource cleanup, as authenticated users should not be able to access data that was previously stored on the same physical resources. Organizations implementing security controls around data sanitization and access management must consider this vulnerability as part of their overall risk assessment. The remediation strategy involves updating to patched versions of OpenStack Ironic where proper disk cleaning procedures are implemented, ensuring that all temporary storage areas are properly sanitized between operations. Security teams should also implement monitoring procedures to detect potential unauthorized access attempts to previously used storage devices. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper data lifecycle management in cloud environments and emphasizes that even authenticated users may have access to sensitive information through improper resource cleanup practices. This issue underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of infrastructure components, particularly those handling sensitive data, and demonstrates how seemingly minor configuration gaps can lead to significant information disclosure risks. Organizations should review their storage management policies and ensure that all disk cleaning procedures are properly implemented and tested to prevent unauthorized data access through residual information on storage devices. The security community should consider this vulnerability when evaluating cloud infrastructure security controls and implementing proper access management procedures for bare metal provisioning services.