# CVE-2015-5251: OpenStack Image Service (Glance) allows remote authenticated users to bypass access restrictions

> Authenticated users can bypass access restrictions and modify image status via a specific HTTP header in OpenStack Glance.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 26 Oct 2015
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2015-5251, GHSA-q748-mcwg-xmqv, PYSEC-2026-816, UBUNTU-CVE-2015-5251

## What is CVE-2015-5251?

CVE-2015-5251 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in n/a, published on 26 Oct 2015. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

OpenStack Image Service (Glance) before 2014.2.4 (juno) and 2015.1.x before 2015.1.2 (kilo) allow remote authenticated users to change the status of their images and bypass access restrictions via the HTTP x-image-meta-status header to images/*.

Weakness: CWE-264

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2015-5251?

5 open source packages ship an affected version, including glance. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `glance` | PyPI | From 2011.2 | 2014.2.4, 2015.1.2 |
| `glance` | PyPI | From 2011.2 | 2014.2.4 |
| `glance` | PyPI | From 2011.2 | 2014.2.4 |
| `glance` | PyPI | From 2015.1.0 | 2015.1.2 |
| `glance` | PyPI | From 2015.1.0 | 2015.1.2 |

Products: Openstack Image Registry and Delivery Service \(Glance\).

## How do I fix CVE-2015-5251?

Upgrade glance to a fixed version for your release line: 2014.2.4 or 2015.1.2.

## Is CVE-2015-5251 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2015-5251 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2015-5286](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-5286/): OpenStack Image Service (Glance) allows remote authenticated users to bypass storage quota, cause denial of service (medium 6.8)
- [CVE-2015-1195](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-1195/): OpenStack Glance v2 API unrestricted path traversal through filesystem:// scheme (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2014-9493](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-9493/): Path traversal in n/a (medium 5.5)
- [CVE-2016-0757](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-0757/): OpenStack Image Service (Glance) vulnerable to Improper Access Control (medium 4.3)
- [CVE-2014-9684](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-9684/): OpenStack Glance Denial of service by creating a large number of images (medium 4.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2015-5251 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2015-5251 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in n/a, published on 26 Oct 2015. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2015-5251 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- glance (PyPI): affected from 2011.2; fixed in 2014.2.4, 2015.1.2
- glance (PyPI): affected from 2011.2; fixed in 2014.2.4
- glance (PyPI): affected from 2011.2; fixed in 2014.2.4
- glance (PyPI): affected from 2015.1.0; fixed in 2015.1.2
- glance (PyPI): affected from 2015.1.0; fixed in 2015.1.2

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-5251/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-5251/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2015-5251
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-5251
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2015-5251

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-5251/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.