Summary
OpenStack Compute (Nova) does not verify the virtual size of a QCOW2 image
OpenStack Compute (Nova) Folsom, Grizzly, and Havana does not verify the virtual size of a QCOW2 image, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (host file system disk consumption) by creating an image with a large virtual size that does not contain a large amount of data.
Impact
The application allocates resources such as memory, threads, or file descriptors based on untrusted input without enforcing a cap. Typical impact: resource exhaustion leading to denial of service.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2013-2096? CVE-2013-2096 is a medium-severity allocation of resources without limits or throttling vulnerability in nova (pip), affecting versions < 12.0.0a0. It is fixed in 12.0.0a0. The application allocates resources such as memory, threads, or file descriptors based on untrusted input without enforcing a cap.
- Which versions of nova are affected by CVE-2013-2096? nova (pip) versions < 12.0.0a0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2013-2096? Yes. CVE-2013-2096 is fixed in 12.0.0a0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2013-2096 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2013-2096 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2013-2096 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2013-2096? Upgrade
novato 12.0.0a0 or later.