CVE-2006-2662 in Server
Summary
by MITRE
VMware Server before RC1 does not clear user credentials from memory after a console connection is made, which might allow local attackers to gain privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/21/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-2662 affects VMware Server versions prior to RC1, representing a critical security flaw in the virtualization platform's credential handling mechanisms. This issue stems from insufficient memory management practices within the VMware Server console connection process, where user authentication credentials remain accessible in system memory even after the connection session has terminated. The flaw creates a persistent security risk that could be exploited by local attackers who have access to the system, potentially allowing them to escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to the virtualized environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the improper memory cleanup process during console connection establishment and termination. When a user establishes a console connection to a VMware Server instance, the authentication credentials are stored in memory for the duration of the session and subsequent operations. However, the software fails to properly clear these credential structures from memory upon connection closure, leaving sensitive authentication data accessible to processes running with appropriate privileges. This memory persistence creates a window of opportunity for local attackers to exploit memory dump utilities or direct memory access techniques to extract the stored credentials.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability significantly weakens the security posture of VMware Server deployments by creating a persistent credential exposure risk. Local attackers who can execute code on the system or have access to memory inspection tools can potentially harvest authentication tokens and use them to gain unauthorized access to virtual machines and the underlying hypervisor. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in multi-tenant environments where multiple users share the same physical host, as it could enable privilege escalation attacks that compromise the integrity of the entire virtualization infrastructure. The attack vector is classified as local privilege escalation, meaning that attackers do not require network access or remote exploitation capabilities to leverage this vulnerability.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-256, which addresses the improper handling of sensitive information in memory, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1003.001 for credential dumping, as attackers can extract stored credentials from memory. Additionally, this issue demonstrates characteristics of credential exposure through memory corruption vulnerabilities, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where VMware Server is commonly deployed. The lack of proper credential sanitization in memory creates a persistent threat that remains active until the system is rebooted or the memory is explicitly cleared.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of affected VMware Server installations to the RC1 release or later versions that contain the proper memory cleanup functionality. Organizations should implement strict access controls and privilege separation to limit local user access to systems running VMware Server. Memory protection mechanisms such as address space layout randomization and data execution prevention should be enabled to make exploitation more difficult. Regular security auditing and memory inspection should be conducted to detect potential credential exposure, and system monitoring should be implemented to identify unauthorized access attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the attack surface and prevent unauthorized local access to critical virtualization infrastructure components.