MEDIUM CVSS 5.4
Published: 2012-12-18

CVE-2012-5571

openstack essex Security Advisory (CVE-2012-5571)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2012-5571 impacting openstack essex. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 5.4 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
A flaw was found in OpenStack Keystone. This vulnerability allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended authorization restrictions. This occurs because OpenStack Keystone does not properly handle EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) tokens when a user's role has been removed from a tenant. An attacker can leverage a token associated with a removed user role to gain unauthorized access.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
Low (PR:L)
Standard user access required
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
Low (C:L)
Partial information leakage
Integrity
Low (I:L)
Partial data modification possible
Availability
None (A:N)
No system availability impact

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product openstack / essex
Affected Versions 2012.1
Weakness Enumeration CWE-639

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2012-5571 impacting openstack essex.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2012-5571.yaml
id: cve-2012-5571

info:
  name: openstack essex - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2012-5571 affecting openstack essex.
    Evaluation: A flaw was found in OpenStack Keystone. This vulnerability allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended authorization restrictions. This occur...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2012-5571
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
    cvss-score: 5.4
    cve-id: CVE-2012-5571
    cwe-id: CWE-639
  tags: cve,cve-2012-5571,openstack,essex,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "essex"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2012-5571.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2012-5571
# Target: openstack essex | CVSS: 5.4 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2012-5571 (openstack essex)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against openstack essex scope (2012.1).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2012-5571.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2012-5571
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install essex 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade essex 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update essex

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i essex 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i essex

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2012-5571 in openstack essex?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update openstack essex packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2012-5571?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2012-5571?

CVE-2012-5571 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 5.4 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
5.4
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2012-5571
Weakness CWE-639
Vendor openstack
Product essex
Published 2012-12-18
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N