dbcve.org
VirtualizationApplication · Redhat

CVE-2015-5160

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-08-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
libvirt before 2.2 includes Ceph credentials on the qemu command line when using RADOS Block Device (aka RBD), which allows local users to obtain sensitive information via a process listing.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

When libvirt before version 2.2 manages virtual machines using RADOS Block Device (RBD) storage backed by Ceph, it passes Ceph authentication credentials as command-line arguments to the qemu-kvm process. These credentials (typically username and key/password) are exposed in the process listing, allowing any local user on the hypervisor to read sensitive Ceph authentication credentials by simply listing running processes.

MitigationUpgrade to libvirt 2.2 or later, which addresses this issue. Alternatively, ensure process-level isolation and restrict local user access to the hypervisor. For existing deployments that cannot upgrade immediately, review whether Ceph credentials can be provided via file-based authentication rather than command-line arguments.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
VirtualizationApplication
Affected:= 3.0
Enterprise LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 5= 6.0
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system
Affected:= 7.0
Enterprise Linux EusOperating system
Affected:= 7.3= 7.4= 7.5= 7.6
Enterprise Linux ServerOperating system
Affected:= 7.0
Enterprise Linux Server AusOperating system
Affected:= 7.3= 7.4= 7.6
Enterprise Linux Server EusOperating system
Affected:= 7.3= 7.4= 7.5= 7.6
Enterprise Linux Server TusOperating system
Affected:= 7.3= 7.6

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check libvirt version
    Run 'rpm -q libvirt' or 'libvirtd --version' to determine the installed libvirt version
    Affected if Version is earlier than 2.2.0 (for upstream) or matches the listed Red Hat versions (RHEL 5, 6.0, 7.0, 7.3-7.6) which ship vulnerable libvirt versions
  2. Identify VMs using RBD storage
    Run 'virsh vol-list <pool>' or check libvirt domain XML configurations for disk sources using 'rbd:' protocol (for example, '<source protocol='rbd' name='pool/image'>')
    Affected if Any active VM is configured to use RADOS Block Device (RBD) storage pools backed by Ceph
  3. Inspect qemu-kvm process command lines
    Run 'ps aux | grep qemu' or 'ps -ef | grep qemu' on the hypervisor to view running virtual machine processes
    Affected if Command-line arguments contain Ceph username (commonly 'admin' or 'libvirt') or a long key string that resembles a Ceph authentication secret (visible as plain text after the 'rbd:' storage URL)
  4. Verify Ceph credentials are passed as arguments
    Examine the full command line of any qemu-kvm process using RBD storage; look for strings matching 'username=' or 'key=' followed by credential data
    Affected if The process listing shows Ceph credentials (username or key/password) as plain-text arguments rather than being omitted or provided via a file reference only

You are affected if your system runs a vulnerable libvirt version AND uses RBD-backed storage for any VMs, AND the qemu-kvm process command lines expose Ceph credentials in plaintext

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to libvirt 2.2 or later, which addresses this issue. Alternatively, ensure process-level isolation and restrict local user access to the hypervisor. For existing deployments that cannot upgrade immediately, review whether Ceph credentials can be provided via file-based authentication rather than command-line arguments.

Fix this in Virtualization Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-5160 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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