OpenstackApplication · Redhat
CVE-2018-16856
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 · uneditedIn a default Red Hat Openstack Platform Director installation, openstack-octavia before versions openstack-octavia 2.0.2-5 and openstack-octavia-3.0.1-0.20181009115732 creates log files that are readable by all users. Sensitive information such as private keys can appear in these log files allowing for information exposure.
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 confidenceopenstack-octavia creates log files with overly permissive permissions (world-readable) in default Red Hat OpenStack Platform Director installations. Sensitive data such as private keys may be written to these logs, exposing them to any local user on the system.
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
= 12= 13= 14>= 2.0.0, < 2.0.2-5>= 3.0.0, < 3.0.1-0.20181009115732CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify if Octavia is installed and get its versionRun 'rpm -qa | grep octavia' or check the Octavia version using the openstack CLI: 'openstack --version' and check the octavia package version with 'rpm -qi openstack-octavia'Affected if The installed version falls within 2.0.0 <= version < 2.0.2-5 or 3.0.0 <= version < 3.0.1-0.20181009115732, or the RHOSP version is 12, 13, or 14
-
Locate Octavia log filesCheck the default log directory for Octavia, typically under /var/log/ or as configured in the Octavia configuration file (octavia.conf) under the [loggers] or [handlers] sectionsAffected if Log files exist in a directory accessible to the octavia service
-
Check permissions on Octavia log filesRun 'ls -la' on the identified log files or log directory. Look for permissions like 'rw-rw-rw-' (666) or directory permissions that allow world read accessAffected if Log files or their directory grant read access to all users (world-readable, indicated by 'r--r--r--' or 'rw-rw-rw-' permissions)
-
Verify if sensitive data may be exposedExamine the contents of the log files for sensitive information such as private keys, passwords, or tokens. Use 'grep -i key' or 'grep -i private' on the log files (requires read access, which confirms the vulnerability)Affected if You can read the log files and find sensitive data like private keys or credentials in plain text
You are affected if Octavia is installed with a vulnerable version (2.0.0 to 2.0.2-5 or 3.0.0 to 3.0.1-0.20181009115732) AND its log files have world-readable permissions allowing any local user to access potentially sensitive data.
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 data2.0.2-53.0.1-0.20181009115732
Configure log file permissions to restrict access (e.g., 640 or stricter) and ensure logs are owned by the octavia user or root, not world-readable.
Fix this in Openstack
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-16856 — 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-2018-16856 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
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.
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.
- 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