OpenstackApplication · Redhat
CVE-2016-4474
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 · uneditedThe image build process for the overcloud images in Red Hat OpenStack Platform 8.0 (Liberty) director and Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform 7.0 (Kilo) director (aka overcloud-full) use a default root password of ROOTPW, which allows attackers to gain access via unspecified vectors.
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 confidenceThe overcloud image build process for Red Hat OpenStack Platform 8.0 (Liberty) director and 7.0 (Kilo) director embeds a hardcoded default root password 'ROOTPW' into the overcloud-full image. Attackers with knowledge of this default credential can gain root access to any deployed overcloud instance using this predictable password.
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
OpenstackApplication
= 7.0= 8CVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify OpenStack Platform director versionRun 'openstack --version' or check the undercloud configuration at /etc/undercloud.conf for the version. Alternatively, check the RPM package: rpm -qa | grep -i openstackAffected if Version is 7.0 (Kilo) or 8.0 (Liberty) director
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Confirm overcloud deployment existsCheck for overcloud node existence: 'openstack server list' or 'nova list' to list deployed instances. Also verify the overcloud-full image was used by checking the image list: 'openstack image list'Affected if Overcloud instances exist or overcloud-full images are present in the image catalog
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Check root password on overcloud nodesAccess an overcloud node console or SSH, then run 'sudo cat /etc/shadow' to view the root password hash, or use 'sudo passwd -S root' to check password status. Compare the root password against the hardcoded default 'ROOTPW'Affected if The root password hash corresponds to the hardcoded default 'ROOTPW' or root login is possible using password 'ROOTPW'
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Verify image build source for hardcoded passwordIf you built custom overcloud images, inspect the image build logs or scripts (e.g., in /usr/share/openstack-tripleo-common/image* or tripleo-heat-templates) for the string 'ROOTPW' embedded in the build processAffected if Image build scripts contain the hardcoded string 'ROOTPW' as the root password
You are affected if you deployed overcloud instances using Red Hat OpenStack Platform 7.0 or 8.0 director and the root password on those nodes matches the hardcoded default 'ROOTPW'.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataRegenerate overcloud images with a unique, strong root password and redeploy, or immediately change the root password on all affected overcloud nodes using a secure, unique password.
Fix this in Openstack
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,680.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-4474 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-4474 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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