CVE-2026-46448: OpenStack Nova scheduler hint injection in server create API

CVE-2026-46448 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.4 · Published 2026-06-16

OpenStack Nova, the component responsible for provisioning virtual machines, contains a flaw where users can bypass resource management controls. By injecting specific internal commands during server creation, an authenticated user can launch virtual machines that are not properly tracked by the system's resource manager. This can lead to physical server resource exhaustion, impacting service availability, and may result in sensitive data remaining on storage devices after a machine is deleted.

Technologies: nova (PyPI). Vendors: PyPI.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-46448 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-46448 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-46448?
Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.4, published 16 June 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
nova (PyPI) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=18.0.0,fixed=31.3.1,introduced=32.0.0,fixed=32.2.1,introduced=33.0.0,fixed=33.0.2, ECOSYSTEM:introduced=18.0.0,last_affected=31.3.0.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-46448?
Yes. nova (PyPI): upgrade to 33.0.2 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-46448 attacked?
It is attacked over the network, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-46448?
Check whether you run 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 33.0.2 or later
    pip install "nova>=33.0.2"

Technical details

A vulnerability in OpenStack Nova's server create API arises because the 'os:scheduler_hints' JSON schema allows additional properties and fails to strip internal-only sentinel values prefixed with '_nova_'. An authenticated attacker can inject the '_nova_check_type' hint set to 'rebuild', which tricks the 'request_is_rebuild' function in the scheduler into treating a new instance creation as a rebuild. This causes the scheduler to skip Placement API resource claims and bypass constraints like availability zones or host aggregates. Exploitation results in 'ghost' instances that consume physical CPU, memory, and disk without being tracked, potentially leading to host-level Denial of Service (DoS) and cross-tenant data persistence on NVMe devices. Patches have been released for versions 31.3.1, 32.2.1, and 33.0.2.

Affected products

  • OpenStack Nova >=18.0.0 <31.3.1, >=32.0.0 <32.2.1, >=33.0.0 <33.0.2

Identifiers

  • CVE-2026-46448
  • GHSA-mfg3-p6m3-gjgr
  • PYSEC-2026-2686

Timeline

  • 2026-05-05: disclosed: Bug reported to OpenStack Launchpad
  • 2026-06-16: advisory: OSSA-2026-022 published
  • 2026-06-16: patched: Fixes released across multiple branches

References

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