CVE-2012-3542: Keystone OpenStack Keystone Allows Remote User Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-gf2q-j2qq-pjf2
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-284
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2012-3542 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) openstack keystone allows remote user vulnerability (CWE-284: Improper Access Control) affecting Keystone libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves openstack keystone allows remote user account creation. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2012.1.

CVE-2012-3542 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2012-3542
GHSA Identifier GHSA-gf2q-j2qq-pjf2
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-284: Improper Access Control
Affected Product Keystone
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2012-3542

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Keystone dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

keystone fixed: 2012.1 
pip install keystone>=2012.1
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

pip show keystone

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2012-3542, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show keystone

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Keystone in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2012.1), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show keystone command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control, where the product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor. In Keystone, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

OpenStack Keystone, as used in OpenStack Folsom before folsom-rc1 and OpenStack Essex (2012.1), allows remote attackers to add an arbitrary user to an arbitrary tenant via a request to update the user's default tenant to the administrative API. NOTE: this identifier was originally incorrectly assigned to an open redirect issue, but the correct identifier for that issue is CVE-2012-3540.

CVE-2012-3542 Affected Keystone Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2012.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
keystone
pypi/keystone
PyPI
< 2012.1
2012.1

References

NVD — CVE-2012-3542 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-3542
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openstack/keystone/commit/5438d3b5a219d7c8fa67e66e538d325a61617155
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openstack/keystone/commit/c13d0ba606f7b2bdc609a7f388334e5efec3f3aa
bugs.launchpad.net/keystone/+bug/10406... WEB
https://bugs.launchpad.net/keystone/+bug/1040626
Keystone Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openstack/keystone
Keystone Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/keystone/PYSEC-2012-19.yaml
lists.launchpad.net/openstack/msg16282.... WEB
https://lists.launchpad.net/openstack/msg16282.html
Keystone Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20121114023909/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/55326
web.archive.org/web/20140802052724/... WEB
https://web.archive.org/web/20140802052724/http://secunia.com/advisories/50467
web.archive.org/web/20140804204333/... WEB
https://web.archive.org/web/20140804204333/http://secunia.com/advisories/50494
Keystone Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/08/30/6
www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-1552-1 WEB
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1552-1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2012-3542?
CVE-2012-3542 is a security vulnerability in Keystone involving OpenStack Keystone Allows Remote User Account Creation under CWE-284: Improper Access Control.
Which Keystone versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2012.1 across affected packages: keystone.
What version fixes CVE-2012-3542?
Upgrading to 2012.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is keystone affected?
Yes, keystone is affected in releases prior to 2012.1. Upgrade your dependency to 2012.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2012-3542?
CVE-2012-3542 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2012-3542?
CVE-2012-3542 is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control (The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2012-3542?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show keystone'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-gf2q-j2qq-pjf2",
  "modified" : "2024-09-27T21:28:19Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T05:22:32Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2012-3542" ],
  "summary" : "OpenStack Keystone Allows Remote User Account Creation",
  "details" : "OpenStack Keystone, as used in OpenStack Folsom before folsom-rc1 and OpenStack Essex (2012.1), allows remote attackers to add an arbitrary user to an arbitrary tenant via a request to update the user's default tenant to the administrative API.  NOTE: this identifier was originally incorrectly assigned to an open redirect issue, but the correct identifier for that issue is CVE-2012-3540.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "keystone"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2012.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-3542"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openstack/keystone/commit/5438d3b5a219d7c8fa67e66e538d325a61617155"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openstack/keystone/commit/c13d0ba606f7b2bdc609a7f388334e5efec3f3aa"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugs.launchpad.net/keystone/+bug/1040626"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openstack/keystone"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/keystone/PYSEC-2012-19.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.launchpad.net/openstack/msg16282.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20121114023909/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/55326"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20140802052724/http://secunia.com/advisories/50467"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20140804204333/http://secunia.com/advisories/50494"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/08/30/6"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1552-1"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-284" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-02-14T00:58:13Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2012-09-05T23:55:00Z"
  }
}