LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2016-7404: OpenStack Magnum passes OpenStack credentials into the Heat templates creating its instances.

OpenStack Magnum passes OpenStack credentials into the Heat templates creating its instances. While these should just be used for retrieving the instances' SSL certificates, they allow full API access, though and can be used to perform any API operation the user is authorized to perform.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Discuss exposureBack to CVEs
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

OpenStack Magnum exposed user OpenStack credentials inside Heat templates used to create instances. Those credentials were intended for certificate retrieval, but the CVE says they could allow any API action that user was already authorized to perform.

Executive priority

Treat this as high priority for OpenStack environments using Magnum. The issue can turn orchestration data exposure into control-plane API access, limited by the affected user's permissions. Organizations not using Magnum are unlikely to be exposed based on the provided sources.

Technical view

The issue is an OpenStack Magnum credential-handling flaw involving Heat templates. Credentials passed into orchestration artifacts exceeded their intended certificate-retrieval purpose and provided full OpenStack API access within the user's authorization scope. Public metadata does not provide CVSS, exact affected versions, or complete vendor remediation details.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most relevant to organizations that deployed OpenStack Magnum with Heat-created instances or clusters. The bundle does not identify specific affected versions, packages, or downstream distributions, so teams must map their Magnum deployments against vendor advisories and the referenced upstream commit.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Risk comes from credential exposure inside orchestration material where users, operators, logs, or compromised instances might access credentials and use the OpenStack API within the victim user's permissions.

Researcher notes

Evidence is strong on the vulnerability behavior but incomplete on affected versions, CVSS, and downstream fixes. Analysis should focus on Magnum's credential propagation into Heat templates, whether templates or instance metadata were accessible, and the authorization scope of exposed credentials.

Mitigation direction

  • Check OpenStack Magnum vendor guidance and apply confirmed fixed packages or backports.
  • Review the referenced upstream Magnum commit for remediation direction.
  • Rotate exposed OpenStack credentials or tokens where Heat templates may have contained them.
  • Reduce permissions for Magnum users and service accounts to the minimum required.
  • Audit OpenStack API activity for suspicious actions by affected users.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory OpenStack environments using Magnum and Heat-created instances.
  • Identify clusters or templates created during vulnerable Magnum deployment windows.
  • Review generated Heat templates and instance data for embedded OpenStack credentials.
  • Confirm deployed Magnum packages include the vendor or upstream fix.
  • Check OpenStack logs for unexpected API operations by exposed users.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
6

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2016-7404 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
5Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.