---
id: CVE-2012-3542
aliases:
  - GHSA-gf2q-j2qq-pjf2
  - PYSEC-2012-19
title: OpenStack Keystone Allows Remote User Account Creation
summary: OpenStack Keystone Allows Remote User Account Creation
severity: high
cvss: 7.5
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N'
vendor: keystone
product: keystone
ecosystem: pip
affected:
  - keystone < 2012.1
patched:
  - keystone 2012.1
published: '2022-05-17'
updated: '2026-09-10'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-10T03:49:33.568666377Z'
source: OSV
sourceUrl: 'https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-gf2q-j2qq-pjf2'
references:
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-3542'
  - url: >-
      https://github.com/openstack/keystone/commit/5438d3b5a219d7c8fa67e66e538d325a61617155
  - url: >-
      https://github.com/openstack/keystone/commit/c13d0ba606f7b2bdc609a7f388334e5efec3f3aa
  - url: 'https://bugs.launchpad.net/keystone/+bug/1040626'
  - url: 'https://github.com/openstack/keystone'
  - url: >-
      https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/keystone/PYSEC-2012-19.yaml
  - url: 'https://lists.launchpad.net/openstack/msg16282.html'
  - url: >-
      https://web.archive.org/web/20121114023909/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/55326
  - url: >-
      https://web.archive.org/web/20140802052724/http://secunia.com/advisories/50467
  - url: >-
      https://web.archive.org/web/20140804204333/http://secunia.com/advisories/50494
  - url: 'http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/08/30/6'
  - url: 'http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1552-1'
tags:
  - osv
  - pip
epss: 0.025
epssPercentile: 0.83889
ingestedAt: '2026-09-12T03:13:01.695Z'
---

## Overview

OpenStack Keystone, as used in OpenStack Folsom before folsom-rc1 and OpenStack Essex (2012.1), allows remote attackers to add an arbitrary user to an arbitrary tenant via a request to update the user's default tenant to the administrative API.  NOTE: this identifier was originally incorrectly assigned to an open redirect issue, but the correct identifier for that issue is CVE-2012-3540.

## Affected packages

- `keystone < 2012.1`

## Remediation

Upgrade to a patched release:

- `keystone 2012.1`