# CVE-2022-3261: Plain-text passwords saved in /var/log/messages

> OpenStack components log plain-text passwords to system logs during updates, allowing attackers with log access to steal sensitive credentials.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 15 Sep 2023
- **Updated:** 25 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-95f8-wgwf-v4mc, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-3261

## What is CVE-2022-3261?

CVE-2022-3261 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Red Hat OpenStack Platform 16.2, published on 15 Sep 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A flaw was found in OpenStack. Multiple components show plain-text passwords in /var/log/messages during the OpenStack overcloud update run, leading to a disclosure of sensitive information problem.

Weakness: CWE-319 (Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information), CWE-256 (Plaintext Storage of a Password)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-3261?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Redhat Openstack Platform.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-3261?

No fix has been published for CVE-2022-3261 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2022-3261 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-3261 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Red Hat OpenStack Platform 16.2

- [CVE-2020-10731](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-10731/): Misconfiguration in nova libvirt container provided by the Red Hat OpenStack Platform (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2024-8007](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-8007/): Openstack-tripleo-common: rhosp director disables tls verification for registry mirrors (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2017-15114](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-15114/): Missing authorization in n/a (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2022-3596](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-3596/): Instack-undercloud: rsync leaks information to undercloud (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2023-6725](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-6725/): Tripleo-ansible: bind keys are world readable (medium 5.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-3261 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-3261 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Red Hat OpenStack Platform 16.2, published on 15 Sep 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-3261 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Red Hat OpenStack Platform 16.2. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

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-2022-3261/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-3261/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-3261
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-3261
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-3261

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-3261/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.