CVE-2026-39944

Ceph: CephX AES Authentication error

Published Aug 27, 2026 CVSS 3.1 · 8.8 High EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
Ceph is an open-source distributed storage platform providing object, block, and file storage. In versions prior to 20.2.4 and 19.2.6, the RADOS Gateway (RGW) protects STS session tokens with an AES-128-CBC handler that provides no message authentication, allowing an attacker who holds any valid STS token to tamper with it undetected and escalate to full RGW administrative access. Because the ciphertext is unauthenticated, the attacker can perform a CBC bit-flip on the acct_type, perm_type, and is_admin fields of their own token, and a forged is_admin value triggers a global administrative override that bypasses all capability checks. The attack is reachable remotely over the RGW S3 endpoint and is a self-contained modification of a token the attacker already possesses, requiring no encryption oracle and no network observation. It requires only a single valid STS token, which need not carry any elevated privileges, with STS enabled. This issue is fixed in versions 20.2.4 and 19.2.6.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories available
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'total'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description A flaw was found in Ceph RGW's STS (Security Token Service) session token implementation. The STS tokens use the same unauthenticated AES-128-CBC encryption as CephX, which lacks message authentication and uses a hardcoded initialization vector. Because there is no integrity protection on the tokens, an attacker who holds any valid unprivileged STS token can perform a CBC bit-flip attack to modify the token contents and escalate to full RGW admin privileges. This requires only that STS is enabled (rgw_s3_auth_use_sts = true) and that the attacker has a single valid STS token. Successful exploitation grants complete control over the RGW service, including reading, writing, and deleting all objects and buckets. Ceph is an open-source distributed storage platform providing object, block, and file storage. In versions prior to 20.2.4 and 19.2.6, the RADOS Gateway (RGW) protects STS session tokens with an AES-128-CBC handler that provides no message authentication, allowing an attacker who holds any valid STS token to tamper with it undetected and escalate to full RGW administrative access. Because the ciphertext is unauthenticated, the attacker can perform a CBC bit-flip on the acct_type, perm_type, and is_admin fields of their own token, and a forged is_admin value triggers a global administrative override that bypasses all capability checks. The attack is reachable remotely over the RGW S3 endpoint and is a self-contained modification of a token the attacker already possesses, requiring no encryption oracle and no network observation. It requires only a single valid STS token, which need not carry any elevated privileges, with STS enabled. This issue is fixed in versions 20.2.4 and 19.2.6.
Title ceph: ceph: RGW STS session tokens vulnerable to CBC bit-flip attack enabling admin privilege escalation Ceph: CephX AES Authentication error
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 8.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H'}

cvssV3_1

{'score': 8.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Ceph
Ceph ceph
Vendors & Products Ceph
Ceph ceph
Type Values Removed Values Added
Description A flaw was found in Ceph RGW's STS (Security Token Service) session token implementation. The STS tokens use the same unauthenticated AES-128-CBC encryption as CephX, which lacks message authentication and uses a hardcoded initialization vector. Because there is no integrity protection on the tokens, an attacker who holds any valid unprivileged STS token can perform a CBC bit-flip attack to modify the token contents and escalate to full RGW admin privileges. This requires only that STS is enabled (rgw_s3_auth_use_sts = true) and that the attacker has a single valid STS token. Successful exploitation grants complete control over the RGW service, including reading, writing, and deleting all objects and buckets.
Title ceph: ceph: RGW STS session tokens vulnerable to CBC bit-flip attack enabling admin privilege escalation
Weaknesses CWE-327
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

cvssV3_1

{'score': 8.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H'}

threat_severity

Important

Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
GitHub_M
Published
Updated
Sep 1, 2026, 3:56 AM
Reserved
Apr 7, 2026, 10:40 PM
Status
Awaiting Analysis
Published
Aug 28, 2026, 12:17 AM
Modified
Sep 8, 2026, 9:11 PM
Severity
Important
Public date
Aug 19, 2026, 5:57 PM