Summary
OpenStack Nova DoS by rebuilding the same instance with a new image multiple times
An issue was discovered in the default FilterScheduler in OpenStack Nova 16.0.3. By repeatedly rebuilding an instance with new images, an authenticated user may consume untracked resources on a hypervisor host leading to a denial of service, aka doubled resource allocations. This regression was introduced with the fix for OSSA-2017-005 (CVE-2017-16239); however, only Nova stable/pike or later deployments with that fix applied and relying on the default FilterScheduler are affected.
Impact
Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service. Typical impact: denial of service.
CVE-2017-17051 has a CVSS score of 8.6 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (16.0.4); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
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-2017-17051? CVE-2017-17051 is a high-severity uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in nova (pip), affecting versions < 16.0.4. It is fixed in 16.0.4. Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service.
- How severe is CVE-2017-17051? CVE-2017-17051 has a CVSS score of 8.6 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of nova are affected by CVE-2017-17051? nova (pip) versions < 16.0.4 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2017-17051? Yes. CVE-2017-17051 is fixed in 16.0.4. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2017-17051 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2017-17051 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-2017-17051 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-2017-17051? Upgrade
novato 16.0.4 or later.