CVE-2026-44917: OpenStack Ironic Local File Read via PXE Template (CVSS 4.9)

Technical summary

CVE-2026-44917 is an improper access control vulnerability in OpenStack Ironic's PXE template handling. The vulnerability allows authenticated users with project admin or manager roles to bypass file access restrictions by injecting malicious content into pxe_template parameters. The Ironic conductor processes these templates without adequate sandboxing or input validation, enabling arbitrary local file read operations on the conductor system. The attack vector is network-based, requires high privileges (project admin/manager), no user interaction, and does not require privilege escalation to execute. The impact is strictly confidentiality; integrity and availability are not affected.

Business impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive operational data maintained by Ironic conductors, including database credentials, API tokens, certificates, and deployment configurations. In multi-tenant OpenStack deployments, a malicious project admin could access files beyond their intended scope, violating data isolation guarantees and potentially compromising infrastructure security across multiple tenants. The requirement for project admin credentials limits the blast radius to insider threats or compromised admin accounts, but the high-privilege nature of affected roles means the risk is concentrated in critical operator personas.

Affected systems

OpenStack Ironic deployments running versions before 35.0.2 are affected. This includes Ironic services deployed in production cloud environments, hybrid cloud setups, and bare-metal-as-a-service platforms that rely on Ironic for provisioning. The vulnerability is specific to the Ironic conductor component and affects any environment where project admins or managers have access to Ironic API endpoints. Verify the exact scope against your OpenStack deployment documentation and version inventory.

Exploitability

Exploitability is moderate and limited by access control. The vulnerability requires the attacker to already possess authenticated project admin or manager credentials within the OpenStack deployment, which significantly reduces the attack surface compared to unauthenticated or low-privilege exploits. No known public exploit code exists, and the attack is not currently tracked in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. However, the mechanics are straightforward once credentials are obtained—an attacker would craft a pxe_template payload targeting local file paths. Internal threat actors (disgruntled operators, compromised admin accounts) represent the primary risk.

Remediation

Upgrade OpenStack Ironic to version 35.0.2 or later to apply the vendor patch. Organizations unable to upgrade immediately should implement compensating controls: restrict project admin and manager role assignments to trusted personnel only, enforce multi-factor authentication for Ironic API access, audit and monitor pxe_template modifications and PXE provisioning operations, and isolate Ironic conductor servers on restricted networks with egress monitoring. Review access logs for suspicious file-read patterns or unusual template submissions from admin accounts.

Patch guidance

Apply the OpenStack Ironic update to version 35.0.2 or later according to your organization's change management procedures. Verify patch deployment by confirming the running version via 'openstack baremetal conductor list' or equivalent CLI commands. Test the patch in a staging environment mirroring your production configuration before rolling out to production conductors. Coordinate patching with your cloud operations team to minimize service disruption, as some deployments may require conductor restarts. Consult the official OpenStack release notes for version 35.0.2 to confirm the fix and any dependent component updates.

Detection guidance

Monitor Ironic conductor logs for suspicious pxe_template API requests, particularly those containing path traversal sequences (../, absolute paths, or environment variable references). Implement alerting on failed file-read attempts within the Ironic conductor process. Audit API call patterns from project admin and manager accounts for unusual frequency or targeting of sensitive directories (/etc, /root, /var/lib, database config paths). Use SIEM tools to correlate Ironic API logs with conductor system logs to detect file access anomalies. Enable verbose logging on the Ironic conductor and set retention policies to support forensic investigation.

Why prioritize this

This vulnerability should be prioritized for remediation in the near term but does not require emergency response. While the CVSS score is MEDIUM (4.9), reflecting limited exploitability due to high privilege requirements and no impact to availability or integrity, the confidentiality risk is significant in multi-tenant environments. The absence of KEV status and public exploits reduces immediate threat, but the sensitive nature of conductor-stored data and the insider-threat risk justifies prompt patching within standard maintenance windows. Prioritize deployments with strict privilege separation and high-sensitivity workloads (finance, healthcare, regulated cloud services).

Risk score, explained

The CVSS 3.1 score of 4.9 (MEDIUM) reflects: Network-accessible attack vector (AV:N) with low complexity (AC:L) and high privilege requirement (PR:H), requiring no user interaction (UI:N). The scope is unchanged (S:U), and the impact is high confidentiality (C:H) but no integrity or availability impact (I:N, A:N). The score appropriately balances the serious confidentiality breach against the significant access control barrier; this is not a critical infrastructure threat but a notable insider-risk vulnerability for operators of multi-tenant cloud platforms.

Frequently asked questions