CVE-2015-7546: Keystone Insufficiently Protected Credentials Vulnerability
Summary
CVE-2015-7546: OpenStack Identity Keystone and keystonemiddleware Insufficiently Protected Credentials. Affects keystone across 2 version ranges.
>= 8.0, < 8.1.0
>= 9.0.0.0b1, < 9.0.0.0b2
Fixed in 8.1.0 or 9.0.0.0b2, depending on the release line you run. How to fix ↓
Also tracked for
- keystone · Debian:11
- keystonemiddleware · PyPI
The same CVE-2015-7546 is tracked separately for each ecosystem and vendor. Its fix information is the same; the package and affected versions differ.
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Background
OpenStack Identity, commonly known as Keystone, is a crucial component of the OpenStack cloud computing platform. It provides identity services for authentication and authorization, allowing users to manage access to cloud resources. Keystone supports various authentication methods and is designed to be extensible and secure. However, certain versions of Keystone and its middleware, keystonemiddleware, have been found to have a significant vulnerability that compromises the security of authorization tokens.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability arises from the failure of Keystone and keystonemiddleware to properly invalidate authorization tokens when using the PKI or PKIZ token providers. This oversight allows remote authenticated users to manipulate byte fields within a revoked token, effectively bypassing intended access restrictions. As a result, unauthorized access to cloud resources can occur, posing a serious security risk to organizations relying on OpenStack for their cloud infrastructure.
How To Fix
Latest published version: 30.0.0 as of 22 Oct 2026
pip install --upgrade "keystone==30.0.0"Upgrading to it may include breaking changes; the versions below are the minimum fixed release for this vulnerability.
If you can't move to the latest
The minimum fixed version depends on the release line you run.
-
>= 8.0, < 8.1.08.1.0pip install --upgrade "keystone==8.1.0" -
>= 9.0.0.0b1, < 9.0.0.0b29.0.0.0b2pip install --upgrade "keystone==9.0.0.0b2"
Tip — Not sure which release line you're on? Vulert can find the fix for the version you are using. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary workaround, consider implementing additional access controls or monitoring mechanisms to detect unauthorized access attempts. However, this is not a substitute for applying the necessary updates to the affected packages.
Conclusion
The CVE-2015-7546 vulnerability in OpenStack Identity (Keystone) poses a significant risk by allowing unauthorized access to cloud resources through insufficiently protected authorization tokens. It is crucial to update to the latest patched versions of Keystone and keystonemiddleware to mitigate this risk effectively.
See every vulnerability recorded for keystone →
FAQ
CVE-2015-7546 is a vulnerability in OpenStack Identity (Keystone) that allows unauthorized access to cloud resources due to insufficiently protected authorization tokens.
Versions of Keystone before 2015.1.3 (Kilo) and 8.0.x before 8.0.2 (Liberty) are affected by this vulnerability.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without requiring any signup.
The CVSS score of this vulnerability is 7.5, indicating a high severity level.
If immediate updates are not possible, implement additional access controls and monitor for unauthorized access attempts as a temporary measure.
References
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