CVE-2026-46448: OpenStack Nova Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
MODERATECVE-2026-46448 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.4) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-669: Incorrect Resource Transfer Between Spheres) affecting OpenStack Nova libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves nova scheduler hint injection bypasses placement resource claims and scheduling constraints. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 32.2.1, 33.0.2.
CVE-2026-46448 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 5.4
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:L).
How to Fix CVE-2026-46448
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected OpenStack 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.
pip install nova>=Latest secure releasepip install nova>=32.2.1pip install nova>=33.0.2Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
pip show novaHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2026-46448, inspect your installed packages using pip:
pip show novaAnalyze the terminal output to locate any version of OpenStack Nova in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 32.2.1), 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-669: Incorrect Resource Transfer Between Spheres, where the product does not properly transfer a resource/behavior to another sphere, or improperly imports a resource/behavior from another sphere, in a manner that provides unintended control over that resource. In OpenStack 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
CVE-2026-46448 Affected OpenStack Nova Versions
3 component(s)References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-46448?
Which OpenStack Nova versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2026-46448?
Is nova affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-46448?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-46448?
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2026-46448?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-mfg3-p6m3-gjgr",
"modified" : "2026-07-21T15:04:06Z",
"published" : "2026-06-16T21:32:01Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-46448" ],
"summary" : "OpenStack Nova: Nova scheduler hint injection bypasses Placement resource claims and scheduling constraints",
"details" : "## Affects\n\n- Nova: >=18.0.0 <31.3.1, >=32.0.0 <32.2.1, >=33.0.0 <33.0.2\n\n\n## Description\nErichen from the Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of \nSciences reported that Nova's server create API does not strip internal \nscheduler hints. An authenticated user can bypass Placement resource \nclaims and scheduling constraint enforcement, including availability \nzone, host aggregate, and image trait restrictions. The resulting \ninstance has no Placement allocation, which can lead to compute node \nresource exhaustion and cross-tenant data persistence on NVMe devices \nafter instance deletion. Deployments running Nova 18.0.0 or later are \naffected.\n\n\n\n## Patches\n\n- https://review.opendev.org/993604 (2025.1/epoxy)\n- https://review.opendev.org/993603 (2025.2/flamingo)\n- https://review.opendev.org/993602 (2026.1/gazpacho)\n- https://review.opendev.org/993601 (2026.2/hibiscus)\n\n\n## Credits\n- Erichen from Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of \nSciences (CVE-2026-46448)",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:L"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "nova"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "18.0.0"
}, {
"last_affected" : "31.3.0"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "nova"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "32.0.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "32.2.1"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "PyPI",
"name" : "nova"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "33.0.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "33.0.2"
} ]
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 33.0.1"
}
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-46448"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://bugs.launchpad.net/nova/+bug/2151252"
}, {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-mfg3-p6m3-gjgr"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/openstack/nova"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/nova/PYSEC-2026-2686.yaml"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://pypi.org/project/nova"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://review.opendev.org/993601"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://review.opendev.org/993602"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://review.opendev.org/993603"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://review.opendev.org/993604"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/06/16/5"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/06/16/5"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-669" ],
"severity" : "MODERATE",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2026-06-17T18:39:21Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2026-06-16T20:16:41Z"
}
}