VulnerabilityPublished 13 May 2024Updated 20 Nov 2025

CVE-2024-4840: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information

Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:54 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.5Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 9% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 13 May 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2024-4840, organizations should immediately audit and restrict access to log files generated by the RHOSP director, ensuring that only authorized personnel and processes have read permissions. Implement strict file system permissions and consider encrypting log storage where feasible. Review and sanitize logging configurations to avoid recording plaintext passwords or sensitive information. Employ centralized logging solutions with controlled access and monitoring capabilities to detect unauthorized access attempts. Monitor logs for unusual access patterns and implement alerting mechanisms. Stay informed about patches or updates released by Red Hat addressing this vulnerability and apply them promptly once available. Additionally, consider rotating any exposed credentials and enforcing strong authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication for OpenStack management interfaces. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration tests focusing on log management and access controls within the cloud environment. Finally, educate administrators and users about the risks of sensitive data exposure in logs and best practices for secure logging.

Description

An flaw was found in the OpenStack Platform (RHOSP) director, a toolset for installing and managing a complete RHOSP environment. Plaintext passwords may be stored in log files, which can expose sensitive information to anyone with access to the logs.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2024-4840 is the compromise of confidentiality due to plaintext password exposure in log files. Attackers or unauthorized users who can access these logs may harvest credentials, enabling them to gain unauthorized access to OpenStack management interfaces or other systems. This can lead to further attacks such as privilege escalation, data exfiltration, or disruption of cloud services. Since the vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability directly, the immediate system operations remain intact; however, the breach of sensitive information can have cascading effects on organizational security posture. Organizations with multi-tenant cloud environments or shared infrastructure are particularly vulnerable, as improper log access controls can allow attackers to exploit this flaw. The medium CVSS score reflects moderate ease of exploitation but significant confidentiality impact. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially in targeted attacks against cloud infrastructure providers or enterprises heavily using OpenStack. Overall, the vulnerability poses a risk to cloud service confidentiality and trustworthiness, potentially affecting customer data and operational security.

References

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