CVE-2007-1337 in Workstation
Summary
by MITRE
The virtual machine process (VMX) in VMware Workstation before 5.5.4 does not properly read state information when moving from the ACPI sleep state to the run state, which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (virtual machine reboot) via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/02/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-1337 represents a critical flaw in VMware Workstation's virtual machine execution environment that specifically affects versions prior to 5.5.4. This issue resides within the virtual machine process component known as VMX which is responsible for managing the virtual machine's operational states and transitions. The flaw manifests during the complex process of transitioning a virtual machine from an ACPI sleep state back to an active running state, creating a potential vector for system instability that can be exploited by malicious actors.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper state information handling within VMware's virtual machine monitor architecture. When a virtual machine enters an ACPI sleep state, the system stores and manages various operational parameters and register states that must be accurately restored upon waking. The VMX process fails to properly validate or reconstruct these state elements during the transition from sleep to run mode, leading to a condition where the virtual machine's execution environment becomes corrupted or unstable. This improper state management creates a scenario where the virtual machine may experience an unexpected restart or reboot, effectively causing a denial of service condition that disrupts all running virtualized applications and processes.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service interruption as it represents a fundamental flaw in VMware's virtualization stack that can be leveraged to compromise the availability of virtualized environments. Attackers can exploit this weakness through unspecified vectors that likely involve manipulating the virtual machine's power state transitions or triggering specific sequences that cause the state restoration process to fail. The resulting denial of service can affect any virtual machine running on an affected VMware Workstation version, potentially disrupting business operations and creating security concerns in environments where virtualization is critical for service delivery. This vulnerability particularly impacts enterprise environments where multiple virtual machines are managed concurrently, as a single exploited instance can cause cascading failures across the virtualized infrastructure.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-248, which addresses "Uncaught Exception" conditions in software systems, and demonstrates how improper exception handling in virtualization platforms can lead to system instability. The flaw also relates to ATT&CK technique T1499.001, which involves system disruption through resource exhaustion or state corruption. Organizations should implement immediate patch management procedures to upgrade to VMware Workstation 5.5.4 or later versions that contain the necessary fixes for this state management issue. Additionally, system administrators should monitor virtual machine power state transitions and implement proper logging to detect anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date virtualization software and underscores the need for comprehensive testing of state transition mechanisms in virtualized environments to prevent similar issues from compromising system availability and security.