CVE-2017-17051 Explained : Impact and Mitigation
Learn about CVE-2017-17051, a vulnerability in OpenStack Nova 16.0.3 FilterScheduler allowing denial of service attacks by consuming unmonitored resources on a hypervisor host.
OpenStack Nova 16.0.3 FilterScheduler vulnerability allows authenticated users to cause a denial of service by creating instances with new images.
Understanding CVE-2017-17051
A vulnerability in OpenStack Nova 16.0.3 FilterScheduler can lead to a denial of service attack by consuming unmonitored resources on a hypervisor host.
What is CVE-2017-17051?
The issue in the default FilterScheduler of OpenStack Nova 16.0.3 allows authenticated users to trigger a denial of service attack by continuously creating instances with new images. This results in the consumption of unmonitored resources on a hypervisor host and causes duplicated resource allocations.
The Impact of CVE-2017-17051
The vulnerability can lead to a denial of service condition on the affected OpenStack Nova deployments, impacting the availability of resources and potentially disrupting services.
Technical Details of CVE-2017-17051
The technical aspects of the CVE-2017-17051 vulnerability.
Vulnerability Description
An issue in the default FilterScheduler in OpenStack Nova 16.0.3 allows authenticated users to exhaust resources on a hypervisor host, causing a denial of service by creating instances with new images.
Affected Systems and Versions
- OpenStack Nova 16.0.3
- Only affects Nova stable/pike or later deployments with the fix for OSSA-2017-005 applied
Exploitation Mechanism
- Authenticated users can exploit the vulnerability by continually creating instances with new images, leading to resource exhaustion on the hypervisor host.
Mitigation and Prevention
Steps to mitigate and prevent the CVE-2017-17051 vulnerability.
Immediate Steps to Take
- Monitor resource usage on hypervisor hosts to detect unusual spikes in resource consumption.
- Implement access controls to limit the creation of instances with new images.
Long-Term Security Practices
- Regularly update and patch OpenStack deployments to address known vulnerabilities.
- Conduct security audits to identify and remediate potential weaknesses in the infrastructure.
Patching and Updates
- Apply patches provided by OpenStack to fix the vulnerability and prevent exploitation.