CVE-2023-6725 in OpenStack
Summary
by MITRE • 03/15/2024
An access-control flaw was found in the OpenStack Designate component where private configuration information including access keys to BIND were improperly made world readable. A malicious attacker with access to any container could exploit this flaw to access sensitive information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/21/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-6725 represents a critical access control weakness within the OpenStack Designate service that fundamentally undermines the security posture of cloud environments relying on this component. OpenStack Designate serves as a DNS service management platform that handles domain name resolution and DNS zone management within OpenStack deployments, making it a critical component in cloud infrastructure. The flaw specifically affects how the system handles file permissions for private configuration files, creating an unintended exposure that violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and principle of least exposure. This vulnerability exists in the configuration management processes of Designate where sensitive credentials and access keys are stored in files that are inadvertently set to world-readable permissions, creating a pathway for unauthorized access to critical infrastructure components.
The technical implementation of this flaw stems from improper file permission handling within the Designate service during the configuration file generation and deployment processes. When Designate creates configuration files containing BIND access credentials and other private information, the system fails to properly set restrictive file permissions that would normally prevent unauthorized access. This misconfiguration results in files being created with permissions that allow any user or process running within the container environment to read the contents, effectively eliminating the security boundary that should protect sensitive authentication materials. The vulnerability manifests as a direct violation of the principle of least privilege, where the system grants unnecessary read access to sensitive data that should only be accessible to specific system processes or authorized administrators. This issue is particularly concerning in containerized environments where multiple applications may share the same host or container namespace, increasing the attack surface and potential impact of such misconfigurations.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-6725 extends far beyond simple information disclosure, as it provides attackers with direct access to DNS infrastructure credentials that can be leveraged for extensive network reconnaissance and attack escalation. An attacker who gains access to any container within the OpenStack environment can exploit this vulnerability to extract BIND access keys and other sensitive configuration data, potentially enabling them to modify DNS records, create malicious zones, or even establish persistence within the DNS infrastructure. The consequences of such access can include complete DNS poisoning attacks, service disruption, data exfiltration through DNS tunneling, and further lateral movement within the cloud environment. This vulnerability directly aligns with attack patterns described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1566 technique for credential access and T1071 for application layer protocol usage, where attackers leverage compromised credentials to expand their access. The impact is particularly severe in multi-tenant cloud environments where DNS infrastructure serves as a critical communication layer between services, making this vulnerability a significant threat to cloud security and data integrity.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-6725 must address both immediate remediation and long-term architectural improvements to prevent similar configuration errors. Organizations should immediately implement proper file permission controls to ensure that configuration files containing sensitive information are created with restrictive permissions, typically limiting access to the specific user or group that requires the credentials. The recommended approach involves setting file permissions to 600 or more restrictive, ensuring that only the intended system processes can access the sensitive data. Additionally, automated configuration management tools should be implemented to enforce secure file creation practices and prevent human error in permission setting. Regular security audits and automated scanning of container images should be conducted to identify and remediate similar misconfigurations across the entire OpenStack deployment. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of implementing proper security controls at the container level, including container runtime security policies that can prevent unauthorized access to sensitive files and processes. Organizations should consider implementing privilege separation techniques and ensuring that Designate components run with minimal required privileges to reduce the potential impact of such credential exposure. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper configuration management and access control enforcement in cloud environments, particularly for components that handle authentication credentials and infrastructure configuration data.