CVE-2013-2096: Nova OpenStack Compute (Nova) Does Not Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-m674-hmx2-ffhq
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CWE-770
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2013-2096 is a MODERATE openstack compute (nova) does not vulnerability (CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling) affecting Nova libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves openstack compute (nova) does not verify the virtual size of a qcow2 image. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 12.0.0a0.

CVE-2013-2096 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2013-2096
GHSA Identifier GHSA-m674-hmx2-ffhq
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
Affected Product Nova
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2013-2096

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

nova fixed: 12.0.0a0 
pip install nova>=12.0.0a0
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 nova

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2013-2096, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show nova

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Nova in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 12.0.0a0), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling, where the product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated. In Nova, 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 Compute (Nova) Folsom, Grizzly, and Havana does not verify the virtual size of a QCOW2 image, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (host file system disk consumption) by creating an image with a large virtual size that does not contain a large amount of data.

CVE-2013-2096 Affected Nova Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
12.0.0a0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
nova
pypi/nova
PyPI
< 12.0.0a0
12.0.0a0

References

NVD — CVE-2013-2096 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-2096
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openstack/nova/commit/0caeb8eaf20abcdc77828f5c6b79fc104619e231
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openstack/nova/commit/44a8aba1d5da87d54db48079103fdef946666d80
Nova Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openstack/nova
review.openstack.org/ WEB
https://review.openstack.org/#/c/28717
review.openstack.org/ WEB
https://review.openstack.org/#/c/28901
review.openstack.org/ WEB
https://review.openstack.org/#/c/29192
Nova Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20130726040108/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/59924
lists.openstack.org/pipermail/openstack... WEB
http://lists.openstack.org/pipermail/openstack-announce/2013-May/000102.html
www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-1831-1 WEB
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1831-1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2013-2096?
CVE-2013-2096 is a security vulnerability in Nova involving OpenStack Compute (Nova) does not verify the virtual size of a QCOW2 image under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling.
Which Nova versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 12.0.0a0 across affected packages: nova.
What version fixes CVE-2013-2096?
Upgrading to 12.0.0a0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is nova affected?
Yes, nova is affected in releases prior to 12.0.0a0. Upgrade your dependency to 12.0.0a0 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2013-2096?
CVE-2013-2096 is classified under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling (The product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2013-2096?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show nova'. 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-m674-hmx2-ffhq",
  "modified" : "2025-04-12T03:16:19Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T04:55:07Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2013-2096" ],
  "summary" : "OpenStack Compute (Nova) does not verify the virtual size of a QCOW2 image",
  "details" : "OpenStack Compute (Nova) Folsom, Grizzly, and Havana does not verify the virtual size of a QCOW2 image, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (host file system disk consumption) by creating an image with a large virtual size that does not contain a large amount of data.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "nova"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "12.0.0a0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-2096"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openstack/nova/commit/0caeb8eaf20abcdc77828f5c6b79fc104619e231"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openstack/nova/commit/44a8aba1d5da87d54db48079103fdef946666d80"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openstack/nova"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://review.openstack.org/#/c/28717"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://review.openstack.org/#/c/28901"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://review.openstack.org/#/c/29192"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20130726040108/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/59924"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.openstack.org/pipermail/openstack-announce/2013-May/000102.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1831-1"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-770" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-04-12T03:16:18Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2013-07-09T17:55:00Z"
  }
}