CVE-2025-44021 OpenStack Ironic fails to restrict paths used for file:// image URLs
A malicious project owner can write arbitrary local files to a target node disk via path traversal during image handling in OpenStack Ironic.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2025-44021?
CVE-2025-44021 is a low-severity path traversal vulnerability in OpenStack Ironic, published on 8 May 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
OpenStack Ironic before 29.0.1 can write unintended files to a target node disk during image handling (if a deployment was performed via the API). A malicious project assigned as a node owner can provide a path to any local file (readable by ironic-conductor), which may then be written to the target node disk. This is difficult to exploit in practice, because a node deployed in this manner should never reach the ACTIVE state, but it still represents a danger in environments running with non-default, insecure configurations such as with automated cleaning disabled. The fixed versions are 24.1.3, 26.1.1, and 29.0.1.
Weakness: CWE-22
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-44021?
7 open source packages ship an affected version, including ironic.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
ironic PyPI | All versions | 24.1.3, 26.1.1, 29.0.1 |
ironic PyPI | All versions | 24.1.3 |
ironic PyPI | All versions | 24.1.3 |
ironic PyPI | From 25.0.0 | 26.1.1 |
ironic PyPI | From 25.0.0 | 26.1.1 |
ironic PyPI | From 27.0.0 | 29.0.1 |
1 more packages
ironic PyPI | From 27.0.0 | 29.0.1 |
How do I fix CVE-2025-44021?
Upgrade ironic to a fixed version for your release line: 24.1.3, 26.1.1 or 29.0.1.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2025-44021 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-44021 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2025-44021, GHSA-q3m2-crgq-5p3q, PYSEC-2025-38, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-44021.