CVE-2023-6110 in OpenStack
Summary
by MITRE • 11/17/2024
A flaw was found in OpenStack. When a user tries to delete a non-existing access rule in it's scope, it deletes other existing access rules which are not associated with any application credentials.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/27/2025
This vulnerability exists within the OpenStack cloud infrastructure platform where a specific flaw in the access rule management system creates an unintended deletion behavior. The issue manifests when a user attempts to remove an access rule that does not actually exist within their operational scope, triggering a cascade effect that results in the removal of legitimate access rules. This represents a critical authorization and access control weakness that directly impacts the integrity of cloud security policies. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation and scope enforcement mechanisms within the OpenStack administration interface.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate boundary checking and rule validation logic within the access control subsystem. When processing a deletion request for a non-existent rule, the system fails to properly validate whether the requested operation targets actual existing resources. Instead, the system incorrectly interprets the invalid deletion attempt as a valid operation that should proceed, ultimately executing a broader deletion function that affects multiple access rules within the same administrative scope. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE category of improper input validation and can be classified as a privilege escalation or access control flaw.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for cloud environments relying on OpenStack as their infrastructure platform. An attacker with access to the administrative interface could exploit this weakness to silently remove legitimate access rules from other applications or services without proper authorization. This could lead to unauthorized access to cloud resources, disruption of services, and potential data exposure. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates silently without proper audit logging, making it difficult to detect unauthorized changes to access policies. This behavior aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for valid accounts and T1566.001 for malicious file execution in cloud environments.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate patch application from OpenStack maintainers to correct the access rule validation logic. Organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring of access rule changes with detailed audit logging to detect unauthorized modifications. Additional defensive measures include implementing strict role-based access controls, regular security assessments of administrative interfaces, and ensuring proper input validation throughout all user interaction points. Network segmentation and least privilege principles should be enforced to limit the scope of potential exploitation. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of thorough testing of edge cases in access control systems and proper validation of all user-supplied inputs before processing administrative operations. Organizations should also consider implementing automated compliance checking tools to verify access rule integrity and detect unauthorized modifications to security policies.