CVE-2016-6829
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2016-6829 is a critical authentication vulnerability where the Trove service user in OpenStack deployments using the Crowbar Framework has a default, hardcoded password. This allows remote attackers to gain unauthorized access to the Trove database service. Affected systems include OpenStack deployments using Crowbar Framework and Trove Barclamp components.
💻 Affected Systems
- OpenStack deployment (crowbar-openstack)
- Trove Barclamp (barclamp-trove, crowbar-barclamp-trove)
📦 What is this software?
Barclamp Trove by Barclamp Trove Project
Crowbar Openstack by Crowbar Openstack Project
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of the Trove database service, allowing attackers to access, modify, or delete sensitive database instances and credentials stored within the OpenStack deployment.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to Trove service leading to data exposure, potential privilege escalation within the OpenStack environment, and lateral movement to other components.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper network segmentation and access controls are implemented, though the default credential still represents a security weakness.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation is trivial - attackers simply need to connect to the Trove service using the default credentials. No special tools or techniques required.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Fixed in commits 932298f250365fed6963700870e52db3a7a32daa (barclamp-trove) and 208230bdfbcb19d062149d083b1a66b429516a69 (crowbar-openstack)
Vendor Advisory: http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/08/16/1
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update to the latest version of barclamp-trove and crowbar-openstack. 2. Apply the specific commits that fix the default password issue. 3. Restart the Trove service. 4. Change the Trove service user password to a strong, unique value.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Change Trove Service Password
linuxManually change the default password for the Trove service user to a strong, unique password
# Change password for trove user
sudo passwd trove
# Restart trove service
sudo systemctl restart trove
Network Access Restriction
linuxRestrict network access to the Trove service using firewall rules
# Example: Allow only specific IPs to access Trove port
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8779 -s trusted_ip -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 8779 -j DROP
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Immediately change the default password for the Trove service user to a strong, unique password
- Implement strict network access controls to limit who can connect to the Trove service (port 8779)
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if the Trove service is using default credentials by attempting to authenticate with known default passwords or checking configuration files for hardcoded credentials.Check Version:
git log --oneline | grep -E '932298f|208230b'Verify Fix Applied:
Verify that the password has been changed by attempting to authenticate with the old default credentials (should fail) and with the new credentials (should succeed). Check that the specific fix commits are present in your installation.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Failed authentication attempts followed by successful authentication from unexpected sources
- Multiple authentication attempts to Trove service from single IP
- Trove service access from unauthorized network segments
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected connections to Trove service port (default 8779)
- Traffic patterns suggesting credential guessing or brute force attempts
SIEM Query:
source="trove.log" AND ("authentication failed" OR "login successful") | stats count by src_ip🔗 References
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/08/16/1
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/08/18/9
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/92476
- https://github.com/crowbar/barclamp-trove/commit/932298f250365fed6963700870e52db3a7a32daa
- https://github.com/crowbar/crowbar-openstack/commit/208230bdfbcb19d062149d083b1a66b429516a69
- https://www.suse.com/security/cve//CVE-2016-6829.html
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/08/16/1
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/08/18/9
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/92476
- https://github.com/crowbar/barclamp-trove/commit/932298f250365fed6963700870e52db3a7a32daa
- https://github.com/crowbar/crowbar-openstack/commit/208230bdfbcb19d062149d083b1a66b429516a69
- https://www.suse.com/security/cve//CVE-2016-6829.html
