CVE-2013-4185: Nova Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-ph2h-hh49-vh27
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2013-4185 is a MODERATE remote code execution vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Nova libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves openstack nova denial of service in network source security groups. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 12.0.0a0.

CVE-2013-4185 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2013-4185
GHSA Identifier GHSA-ph2h-hh49-vh27
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Nova
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2013-4185

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-2013-4185, 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 General Security Weakness. 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

Algorithmic complexity vulnerability in OpenStack Compute (Nova) before 2013.1.3 and Havana before havana-3 does not properly handle network source security group policy updates, which allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (nova-network consumption) via a large number of server-creation operations, which triggers a large number of update requests.

CVE-2013-4185 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-2013-4185 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-4185
bugs.launchpad.net/nova/+bug/1184041 WEB
https://bugs.launchpad.net/nova/+bug/1184041
Nova Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/openstack/nova
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
http://github.com/openstack/nova/commit/52ad911963da4095b213952dee3a430fe0c4c30f
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
http://github.com/openstack/nova/commit/85aac04704350566d6b06aa7a3b99649946c672c
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
http://github.com/openstack/nova/commit/d4ee081c5c0a5132781235177c430ebcf72b0b0b
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2013-11... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2013-1199.html
seclists.org/oss-sec/2013/q3/282 WEB
http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2013/q3/282

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2013-4185?
CVE-2013-4185 is a security vulnerability in Nova involving OpenStack Nova Denial of Service in network source security groups under General Security Weakness.
Which Nova versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 12.0.0a0 across affected packages: nova.
What version fixes CVE-2013-4185?
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-2013-4185?
CVE-2013-4185 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2013-4185?
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-ph2h-hh49-vh27",
  "modified" : "2024-05-14T21:13:48Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-14T01:59:13Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2013-4185" ],
  "summary" : "OpenStack Nova Denial of Service in network source security groups",
  "details" : "Algorithmic complexity vulnerability in OpenStack Compute (Nova) before 2013.1.3 and Havana before havana-3 does not properly handle network source security group policy updates, which allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (nova-network consumption) via a large number of server-creation operations, which triggers a large number of update requests.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "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-2013-4185"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugs.launchpad.net/nova/+bug/1184041"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/openstack/nova"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://github.com/openstack/nova/commit/52ad911963da4095b213952dee3a430fe0c4c30f"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://github.com/openstack/nova/commit/85aac04704350566d6b06aa7a3b99649946c672c"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://github.com/openstack/nova/commit/d4ee081c5c0a5132781235177c430ebcf72b0b0b"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2013-1199.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2013/q3/282"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-05-14T21:13:48Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2013-10-29T22:55:00Z"
  }
}