CVE-2012-3447: Nova Arbitrary File Overwrite Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-xc4g-7vw8-924h
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2012-3447 is a HIGH (CVSS 6.5) arbitrary file overwrite vulnerability (CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization) affecting Nova libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves arbitrary file overwrite in openstack nova. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 12.0.0.

CVE-2012-3447 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2012-3447
GHSA Identifier GHSA-xc4g-7vw8-924h
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization
Affected Product Nova
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

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:N/I:H/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
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-2012-3447

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: 12.0.0 
pip install nova>=12.0.0
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-2012-3447, 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 12.0.0), 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-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 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

`virt/disk/api.py` in OpenStack Compute (Nova) 2012.1.x before 2012.1.2 and Folsom before Folsom-3 allows remote authenticated users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on a file in an image that uses a symlink that is only readable by root. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2012-3361.

CVE-2012-3447 Affected Nova Versions

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

References

NVD — CVE-2012-3447 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-3447
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openstack/nova/commit/ce4b2e27be45a85b310237615c47eb53f37bb5f3
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/openstack/nova/commit/d9577ce9f266166a297488445b5b0c93c1ddb368
bugs.launchpad.net/nova/+bug/1031311 WEB
https://bugs.launchpad.net/nova/+bug/1031311
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=845106
exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/775... WEB
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/77539
Nova Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openstack/nova
Nova Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/nova/PYSEC-2012-21.yaml
review.openstack.org/ WEB
https://review.openstack.org/#/c/10953
Nova Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20120824003029/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/54869
Nova Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/08/07/1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2012-3447?
CVE-2012-3447 is a security vulnerability in Nova involving Arbitrary file overwrite in OpenStack Nova under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization.
Which Nova versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 12.0.0 across affected packages: nova.
What version fixes CVE-2012-3447?
Upgrading to 12.0.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is nova affected?
Yes, nova is affected in releases prior to 12.0.0. Upgrade your dependency to 12.0.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2012-3447?
CVE-2012-3447 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2012-3447?
CVE-2012-3447 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-2012-3447?
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-xc4g-7vw8-924h",
  "modified" : "2024-10-01T19:34:03Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T01:44:00Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2012-3447" ],
  "summary" : "Arbitrary file overwrite in OpenStack Nova",
  "details" : "`virt/disk/api.py` in OpenStack Compute (Nova) 2012.1.x before 2012.1.2 and Folsom before Folsom-3 allows remote authenticated users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on a file in an image that uses a symlink that is only readable by root.  NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2012-3361.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "nova"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "12.0.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-3447"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openstack/nova/commit/ce4b2e27be45a85b310237615c47eb53f37bb5f3"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openstack/nova/commit/d9577ce9f266166a297488445b5b0c93c1ddb368"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugs.launchpad.net/nova/+bug/1031311"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=845106"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/77539"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openstack/nova"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/nova/PYSEC-2012-21.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://review.openstack.org/#/c/10953"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20120824003029/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/54869"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/08/07/1"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-02-14T00:51:28Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2012-08-20T18:55:00Z"
  }
}