OpenstackApplication · Redhat

CVE-2016-9599

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-04-24
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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
puppet-tripleo before versions 5.5.0, 6.2.0 is vulnerable to an access-control flaw in the IPtables rules management, which allowed the creation of TCP/UDP rules with empty port values. If SSL is enabled, a malicious user could use these open ports to gain access to unauthorized resources.

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

The puppet-tripleo module before versions 5.5.0 and 6.2.0 contains a validation flaw in its iptables rules management that allows TCP/UDP firewall rules to be created with empty or null port values. When SSL is enabled, these improperly configured rules create unintended open ports that malicious users could exploit to gain unauthorized access to sensitive resources.

MitigationUpgrade puppet-tripleo to version 5.5.0, 6.2.0 or later to include the port validation fix. Review existing iptables rules configurations for any rules created with empty port values and remediate them.

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
Affected:= 10
Puppet TripleoApplication
Affected:= 5.5.0= 6.2.0

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
Network
Complexity
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/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 checks

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

  1. Identify puppet-tripleo module version
    Run 'puppet module list' or check the module version in /etc/puppet/modules/tripleo/ to determine if the installed version is before 5.5.0 or 6.2.0
    Affected if The installed version is below 5.5.0 or below 6.2.0 and the module is managing iptables rules
  2. Locate iptables rule definitions in tripleo manifests
    Search puppet manifests in /etc/puppet/modules/tripleo/ for iptables, specifically look for files defining firewall rules such as init.pp or any file containing 'iptables::rule' or 'tripleo::firewall'
    Affected if The module is actively managing iptables rules and the version is vulnerable
  3. Inspect firewall rule definitions for port validation
    Examine the puppet manifests defining iptables rules and look for any rule definitions where the port parameter could be empty, null, or undefined - check for parameters like 'port', 'dport', or 'destination_port'
    Affected if Rules are defined with port parameters that could accept empty or null values without validation
  4. Check SSL configuration in tripleo
    Look for SSL/TLS configuration in puppet-tripleo manifests or hiera data, typically in files under /etc/puppet/hieradata/ or in the module's SSL-related classes
    Affected if SSL is enabled in the configuration while using a vulnerable version of puppet-tripleo with iptables management
  5. Review active iptables rules for unintended open ports
    Run 'iptables -L -n -v' or 'iptables -S' to list active firewall rules and inspect for any rules with source or destination ports showing as 0, empty, or '*' that were created by puppet-tripleo
    Affected if Active iptables rules show ports as 0, empty, or uninitialized indicating they were created with the validation flaw

A user is affected if puppet-tripleo version is below 5.5.0 or below 6.2.0, the module is managing iptables rules, and SSL is enabled with potentially misconfigured firewall rules having empty/null port values

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 puppet-tripleo to version 5.5.0, 6.2.0 or later to include the port validation fix. Review existing iptables rules configurations for any rules created with empty port values and remediate them.

Fix this in Openstack Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,970
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,752.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-9599 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-9599 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data