OpenStack Ironic Python Agent Chroot Command Injection Vulnerability

A command injection vulnerability has been identified in OpenStack Ironic Python Agent (IPA) versions 1.0.0 through 11.5.0. The issue arises because IPA sometimes executes 'grub-install' from within a chroot environment of the deployed partition image. This behavior can lead to unauthorized code execution if a malicious image is used.

Impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability allows for arbitrary code execution within the IPA deployment ramdisk, with potential access to the host's /dev, /proc, and /sys directories. This could lead to a compromise of the Ironic provisioning workflow, especially if other nodes are sharing the same ramdisk.

Reproduction

To reproduce this vulnerability, upload a crafted disk image containing malicious 'grub-install' binaries or filenames with shell metacharacters. Then, deploy a node using the Ansible deploy driver, which will execute the 'grub-install' command in a chroot environment with bind-mounted access to system directories. This will result in the execution of the malicious code within the IPA context, potentially accessing sensitive information or interfering with other provisioning processes.

Remediation

A patch has been developed to add a configuration option in Ironic Python Agent that disables partition images by default. This patch can be applied to the Ironic Python Agent codebase.