Openstack SelinuxApplication · Redhat
CVE-2020-1690
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 · uneditedAn improper authorization flaw was discovered in openstack-selinux's applied policy where it does not prevent a non-root user in a container from privilege escalation. A non-root attacker in one or more Red Hat OpenStack (RHOSP) containers could send messages to the dbus. With access to the dbus, the attacker could start or stop services, possibly causing a denial of service. Versions before openstack-selinux 0.8.24 are affected.
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 confidenceAn improper authorization flaw in openstack-selinux's SELinux policy allows non-root users inside containers to send messages to dbus. This enables privilege escalation by allowing attackers to start or stop system services, potentially causing denial of service.
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
Openstack SelinuxApplication
< 0.8.24
Openstack PlatformApplication
= 15.0= 16.1CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/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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Verify openstack-selinux package is installedRun: rpm -q openstack-selinuxAffected if The package is not installed means the system does not use this component and is not affected. If installed, proceed to version check.
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Check installed openstack-selinux versionRun: rpm -q --qf '%{VERSION}-%{RELEASE}' openstack-selinuxAffected if Version is lower than 0.8.24 (for example 0.8.23-3.el8) - the system is affected by the vulnerable SELinux policy.
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Confirm SELinux is enabled and enforcingRun: getenforce to check if SELinux is enforcing; run: sestatus to see SELinux statusAffected if SELinux must be enabled for this vulnerability to be exploitable. If disabled or in permissive mode, the specific SELinux policy flaw does not apply, though the underlying misconfiguration may still exist.
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Verify dbus SELinux context for container processesRun: semanage permissive -a container_t 2>/dev/null; check if container domain has dbus_send permission via: sesearch --allow -s container_t -t dbus_t -c dbusAffected if If container_t domain has allow rules permitting communication with dbus_t, the vulnerable policy is in effect.
The environment is affected if openstack-selinux version is installed and is lower than 0.8.24 while SELinux is enabled, as this combination allows non-root container users to send dbus messages and escalate privileges.
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 data0.8.24
Upgrade openstack-selinux to version 0.8.24 or later which contains the corrected SELinux policy that properly restricts dbus access from containerized processes.
Fix this in Openstack Selinux
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,168.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-1690 — 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-2020-1690 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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