CVE-2007-0832 in Workstation
Summary
by MITRE
VMware Workstation 5.5.3 34685 does not immediately change the availability of a shared clipboard when the "Enable copy and paste to and from this virtual machine" checkbox is changed, which allows local users to obtain sensitive information or conduct certain attacks that are facilitated by weaker isolation between the host and guest operating systems.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/19/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-0832 affects VMware Workstation version 5.5.3 build 34685 and represents a critical security flaw in the virtualization platform's clipboard sharing mechanism. This issue stems from a failure in the application's state management system where the shared clipboard functionality does not immediately respond to user configuration changes, creating a window of opportunity for malicious activities. The vulnerability specifically targets the "Enable copy and paste to and from this virtual machine" checkbox functionality, which when modified does not instantly update the clipboard availability status, leaving the system in an inconsistent state where clipboard access remains active despite user intent to disable it.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability constitutes a privilege escalation and information disclosure risk that directly impacts the isolation boundaries between host and guest operating systems. The flaw allows local users to maintain clipboard access even after disabling the sharing feature, effectively bypassing intended security controls. This represents a classic case of improper state management where the application fails to properly synchronize its internal state with the user's explicit configuration changes. The vulnerability enables attackers to potentially access sensitive data that was previously restricted, as the clipboard service continues to operate in a privileged mode even when access controls have been modified.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it creates opportunities for more sophisticated attacks that exploit the weakened isolation between host and guest environments. Attackers can leverage this persistent clipboard access to harvest credentials, sensitive documents, or other confidential information that might have been copied to the clipboard during normal operations. This weakness undermines the fundamental security model of virtualization platforms where guest operating systems should be isolated from the host environment to prevent unauthorized data transfer and potential privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability particularly affects scenarios where users might be copying sensitive information between host and guest systems, as the delayed state update creates a race condition where clipboard access remains active longer than intended.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as a variant of CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and it aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 related to command and scripting interpreter for privilege escalation activities. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation and state management practices that allow for persistent access to resources that should be restricted. Organizations using VMware Workstation 5.5.3 should implement immediate mitigations including disabling clipboard sharing functionality when not required, monitoring for unauthorized clipboard access patterns, and ensuring all virtualization platforms are updated to versions that properly address this state synchronization issue. Additionally, security teams should consider implementing network-level controls to prevent data exfiltration through clipboard mechanisms and establish monitoring procedures to detect anomalous clipboard activity that might indicate exploitation attempts.