CVE-2015-5251: Glance OpenStack Image Service (Glance) Allows Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-q748-mcwg-xmqv
Share
CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2015-5251 is a MODERATE openstack image service (glance) allows vulnerability (CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization) affecting Glance libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves openstack image service (glance) allows remote authenticated users to bypass access restrictions. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2014.2.4, 2015.1.2.

CVE-2015-5251 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2015-5251
GHSA Identifier GHSA-q748-mcwg-xmqv
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization
Affected Product Glance
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2015-5251

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

glance fixed: 2014.2.4 
pip install glance>=2014.2.4
glance fixed: 2015.1.2 
pip install glance>=2015.1.2
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 glance

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2015-5251, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show glance

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Glance in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2014.2.4), your application is affected.

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

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization, where the product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check. In Glance, 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 Image Service (Glance) before 2014.2.4 (juno) and 2015.1.x before 2015.1.2 (kilo) allow remote authenticated users to change the status of their images and bypass access restrictions via the HTTP x-image-meta-status header to images/*.

CVE-2015-5251 Affected Glance Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2014.2.42015.1.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
glance
pypi/glance
PyPI
≥ 2011.2
< 2014.2.4
2014.2.4
glance
pypi/glance
PyPI
≥ 2015.1.0
< 2015.1.2
2015.1.2

References

NVD — CVE-2015-5251 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-5251
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2015:18... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2015:1897
Glance Security Information SECURITY
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-5251
bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1482371 WEB
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1482371
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1263511
opendev.org/openstack/glance PACKAGE
https://opendev.org/openstack/glance
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2015-18... WEB
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2015-1897.html
Glance Security Information SECURITY
https://security.openstack.org/ossa/OSSA-2015-019.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2015-5251?
CVE-2015-5251 is a security vulnerability in Glance involving OpenStack Image Service (Glance) allows remote authenticated users to bypass access restrictions under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization.
Which Glance versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2014.2.4, 2015.1.2 across affected packages: glance.
What version fixes CVE-2015-5251?
Upgrading to 2014.2.4, 2015.1.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is glance affected?
Yes, glance is affected in releases prior to 2014.2.4, 2015.1.2. Upgrade your dependency to 2014.2.4, 2015.1.2 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2015-5251?
CVE-2015-5251 is classified under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization (The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2015-5251?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show glance'. 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-q748-mcwg-xmqv",
  "modified" : "2026-01-20T13:05:45Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T04:04:02Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2015-5251" ],
  "summary" : "OpenStack Image Service (Glance) allows remote authenticated users to bypass access restrictions",
  "details" : "OpenStack Image Service (Glance) before 2014.2.4 (juno) and 2015.1.x before 2015.1.2 (kilo) allow remote authenticated users to change the status of their images and bypass access restrictions via the HTTP x-image-meta-status header to images/*.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "glance"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2011.2"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2014.2.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "glance"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2015.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2015.1.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-5251"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2015:1897"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-5251"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1482371"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1263511"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://opendev.org/openstack/glance"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2015-1897.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.openstack.org/ossa/OSSA-2015-019.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-02-08T17:59:13Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2015-10-26T17:59:00Z"
  }
}