Information Disclosure in OpenStack Keystone
Summary
CVE-2021-38155: OpenStack Keystone allows information disclosure during account locking. Affects keystone across 4 version ranges.
>= 10.0, < 16.0.2
>= 17.0, < 17.0.1
>= 18.0, < 18.0.1
>= 19.0, < 19.0.1
Fixed in 4 releases; the minimum fixed version depends on the release line you run. How to fix ↓
Also tracked for
- keystone · Debian:11
The same CVE-2021-38155 is tracked separately for each ecosystem and vendor. Its fix information is the same; the package and affected versions differ.
Check if this vulnerability affects your application
Upload a manifest or SBOM and we'll show whether you're affected, plus every other risky package in the same scan.
No signup required · Results in about 60 seconds
Background
OpenStack Keystone is an open-source identity service that provides authentication and authorization for other OpenStack services. It manages user accounts, roles, and permissions within an OpenStack deployment. This vulnerability affects versions 10.x through 19.x of Keystone. The vulnerability allows an unauthenticated actor to obtain sensitive information during account locking, potentially leading to further attacks.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in OpenStack Keystone allows an attacker to confirm the existence of an account and obtain its corresponding UUID by guessing the account name and failing to authenticate multiple times. This information disclosure can be exploited for other unrelated attacks. The vulnerability is related to the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) features. All deployments enabling the 'security_compliance.lockout_failure_attempts' configuration are affected. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 7.5, indicating a high severity.
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.
-
>= 10.0, < 16.0.216.0.2pip install --upgrade "keystone==16.0.2" -
>= 17.0, < 17.0.117.0.1pip install --upgrade "keystone==17.0.1" -
>= 18.0, < 18.0.118.0.1pip install --upgrade "keystone==18.0.1" -
>= 19.0, < 19.0.119.0.1pip install --upgrade "keystone==19.0.1"
Tip — Not sure which release line you're on? Vulert can find the fix for the version you are using. Scan free →
Workaround
There is no specific workaround mentioned for this vulnerability.
Conclusion
OpenStack Keystone versions 10.x through 19.x are vulnerable to an information disclosure vulnerability during account locking. Upgrading to the fixed versions is recommended to mitigate the risk. For further support on vulnerability remediation, you can contact DevNack.com.
See every vulnerability recorded for keystone →
FAQ
OpenStack Keystone is an open-source identity service that provides authentication and authorization for other OpenStack services.
The vulnerability allows an unauthenticated actor to confirm the existence of an account and obtain its corresponding UUID, which can be leveraged for other attacks.
You can use the Vulert Playground (https://vulert.com/scanner) to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup. Vulert monitors and alerts in real-time for open-source vulnerabilities.
The CVSS score of this vulnerability is 7.5, indicating a high severity.
You can find more information about this vulnerability in the GitHub Advisory Database (https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2022/05/GHSA-4225-97pr-rr52/GHSA-4225-97pr-rr52.json).
References
Related vulnerabilities
Recent vulnerabilities recorded for keystone.
