# CVE-2013-4497: PYSEC-2026-859 - OpenStack Compute Nova Improper Access Control

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2013-4497-openstack-compute-nova-improper-access-control-in-xenapi-backend  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-07-06. Updated: 2026-09-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2013-4497 · Severity: info · Published 2026-07-06

OpenStack Compute (Nova) is the cloud computing service that manages virtual machine instances in an OpenStack cloud infrastructure. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to bypass security group restrictions when resizing instances or performing live migration on the XenAPI hypervisor backend, potentially exposing instances to unauthorized network traffic and access.

Technologies: [nova (PyPI)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/pypi-nova). Vendors: [OpenStack](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/openstack), [PyPI](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/pypi).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2013-4497 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2013-4497 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2013-4497?** Informational severity, published 6 July 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** OpenStack Compute Nova Folsom, Grizzly, and Havana before 2013.2; nova (PyPI) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=12.0.0a0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2013-4497?** Yes. nova (PyPI): upgrade to 12.0.0a0 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2013-4497 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a hosted service.

**Am I affected by CVE-2013-4497?** Check whether you run OpenStack Compute Nova or nova (PyPI) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- nova (PyPI): upgrade to 12.0.0a0 or later

  ```sh
  pip install "nova>=12.0.0a0"
  ```


## Technical details

The XenAPI backend in OpenStack Nova fails to properly reapply security group firewall rules during image resize operations and live migration. The root cause is that security group rules are not reapplied when instances are migrated to a new hypervisor or resized. An unauthenticated or authenticated remote attacker can exploit this by migrating or resizing an instance to bypass intended network access controls. The vulnerability affects Folsom, Grizzly, and Havana releases prior to 2013.2. Patches were applied to reapply firewall rules during finish_migrate and resize operations.

## Affected products

- OpenStack Compute Nova Folsom, Grizzly, and Havana before 2013.2

## Identifiers

- CVE-2013-4497
- GHSA-27q4-38qf-m25h
- PYSEC-2026-859

## Timeline

- 2013-11-05: disclosed
- 2013.2: patched

## References

- [https://github.com/openstack/nova/commit/01de658210fd65171bfbf5450c93673b5ce0bd9e](https://github.com/openstack/nova/commit/01de658210fd65171bfbf5450c93673b5ce0bd9e)

## Related threats

- [PYSEC-2026-2493 - OpenStack Cinder, Glance, and Nova vulnerable to arbitrary file access](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2024-32498-openstack-cinder-glance-and-nova-vulnerable-to-arbitrary-file)
- [PYSEC-2026-1709 - OpenStack Nova vulnerable to unauthorized access to potentially sensitive data](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2024-40767-openstack-nova-vulnerable-to-unauthorized-access-to-potentially)
- [PYSEC-2026-868 - OpenStack Cinder, glance, and Nova vulnerable to Path Traversal](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2022-47951-openstack-cinder-glance-and-nova-vulnerable-to-path-traversal)
- [PYSEC-2026-882 - OpenStack Nova Changing vnic_type breaks compute service restart](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2022-37394-openstack-nova-changing-vnic-type-breaks-compute-service-restart)
- [PYSEC-2026-857 - OpenStack Nova can leak consoleauth token into log files](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2015-9543-openstack-nova-consoleauth-token-leak-into-log-files)