CVE-2007-4593 in Workstation
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in vstor2-ws60.sys in VMWare Workstation 6.0 allows local users to cause a denial of service (host operating system crash) via unspecified vectors, as demonstrated by the DC2 test suite, possibly a related issue to CVE-2007-4591. NOTE: the provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained solely from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/07/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-4593 represents a critical denial of service weakness within VMware Workstation 6.0's virtualization stack, specifically affecting the vstor2-ws60.sys kernel driver component. This issue manifests as a local privilege escalation vector that enables attackers with limited system access to trigger catastrophic system failures in the host operating environment. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified suggests that the exact technical mechanism remains partially obscured, though the impact has been validated through the DC2 test suite which demonstrates the exploitability of this weakness. The proximity to CVE-2007-4591 indicates this may represent a family of related vulnerabilities within VMware's virtual storage subsystem, potentially sharing common architectural flaws in the driver implementation.
The technical flaw resides within the kernel-mode driver vstor2-ws60.sys which manages virtual storage operations for VMware's virtual machines. This driver component handles critical I/O operations between the virtualized guest operating systems and the physical host storage subsystem. When exploited, the vulnerability allows local users to manipulate memory structures or execute malformed I/O requests that cause the host kernel to crash or become unstable. The attack vector likely involves direct manipulation of driver interfaces or memory corruption through improper input validation, potentially involving buffer overflows or use-after-free conditions that are commonly found in kernel drivers. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-119 which encompasses weaknesses related to memory safety in kernel-mode code, and specifically aligns with CWE-121 for buffer overflow conditions in kernel space.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can lead to complete system crashes and potential data loss in environments where VMware Workstation operates as a primary virtualization platform. Local users who can execute code on the host system gain the ability to destabilize the entire virtualization environment, potentially affecting multiple virtual machines running simultaneously. This creates cascading failures that can compromise business continuity, particularly in development environments, testing labs, or production systems where multiple virtual machines depend on stable host operations. The vulnerability's local nature means it does not require network access, making it particularly dangerous in environments where local privilege escalation is possible through other means. The attack could be leveraged in conjunction with other exploits to create a complete compromise of the host system, as demonstrated by the DC2 test suite which validates the exploitation methodology.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-4593 should focus on immediate patching of VMware Workstation 6.0 installations, as this represents a known vulnerability that has been addressed in subsequent releases. System administrators should implement strict access controls to limit local user privileges on systems running VMware Workstation, particularly in multi-user environments where unauthorized local access could be exploited. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns of system instability that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's nature as a kernel-mode driver issue makes it particularly resistant to traditional software-based mitigations, requiring system-level updates and potentially complete system reinstallation in severe cases. Organizations should also consider implementing virtualization-specific security measures such as hypervisor isolation, memory protection, and regular security assessments of virtualization environments to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date virtualization software and following security best practices for kernel-mode component management, as outlined in various security frameworks including the ATT&CK framework's coverage of kernel-mode rootkits and privilege escalation techniques.