CVE-2008-3693 in Player
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in a certain ActiveX control in VMware Workstation 5.5.x before 5.5.8 build 108000, VMware Workstation 6.0.x before 6.0.5 build 109488, VMware Player 1.x before 1.0.8 build 108000, VMware Player 2.x before 2.0.5 build 109488, VMware ACE 1.x before 1.0.7 build 108880, VMware ACE 2.x before 2.0.5 build 109488, and VMware Server before 1.0.7 build 108231 has unknown impact and remote attack vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2008-3691, CVE-2008-3692, CVE-2008-3694, CVE-2008-3695, and CVE-2008-3696.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/16/2019
This vulnerability resides within an ActiveX control component of multiple VMware products including workstation player and server editions across several version branches. The unspecified nature of the flaw indicates a critical security weakness that could potentially allow remote code execution or privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability affects specific builds of VMware Workstation 5.5.x and 6.0.x, VMware Player 1.x and 2.x, VMware ACE 1.x and 2.x, and VMware Server before their respective patched versions. These products are widely used for virtualization and desktop virtualization environments, making the potential attack surface significant for enterprise and individual users alike. The vulnerability's classification as remote attack vector means that malicious actors could exploit it without requiring physical access to the target system, potentially enabling widespread compromise across networks where these virtualization platforms are deployed.
The technical implementation of this ActiveX control vulnerability likely involves memory corruption issues or insecure parameter handling within the component's code execution path. ActiveX controls are known to present security risks when improperly validated, as they can execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges on Windows systems. The vulnerability's relationship to other CVEs in the same advisory series (2008-3691 through 2008-3696) suggests a pattern of related security weaknesses within the same product family, indicating that the development team may have overlooked fundamental security principles during the implementation of these virtualization components. This particular flaw's remote exploitability through ActiveX controls aligns with common attack patterns documented in the attack tree framework, where initial compromise often occurs through browser-based attacks targeting ActiveX vulnerabilities. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified impact means that security researchers and attackers have identified potential for severe consequences including system compromise, data exfiltration, or privilege escalation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond individual system compromise to affect entire virtualized environments where these VMware products are deployed. Organizations utilizing these older versions of VMware software face significant risk of unauthorized access to virtual machines and host systems, potentially leading to complete network compromise. The vulnerability's presence in VMware Server, which is designed for enterprise virtualization, means that critical infrastructure components could be at risk. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent backdoors within virtualized environments, potentially affecting multiple guest operating systems running on compromised hosts. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that ActiveX controls are often enabled by default in Windows environments, making exploitation more likely. Organizations using these vulnerable versions may experience unauthorized access to sensitive data, system disruption, and potential compliance violations if security policies mandate protection against known vulnerabilities. The vulnerability's presence in multiple product lines also suggests that organizations may need to patch or upgrade across several different VMware components simultaneously, creating operational complexity during remediation efforts.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of all affected VMware products to their respective fixed builds. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit exposure of vulnerable systems and consider disabling ActiveX controls in browser environments where possible. The implementation of security monitoring tools should include detection of suspicious ActiveX control behavior and unusual network connections that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running affected VMware products and prioritize remediation based on risk exposure. The vulnerability's classification as remote attack vector means that organizations should also review their network security controls and ensure that appropriate firewall rules and intrusion detection systems are in place to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent execution of unauthorized ActiveX controls and establish incident response procedures specifically designed to handle virtualization platform compromise scenarios. This vulnerability's characteristics align with attack patterns described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under initial access and privilege escalation techniques, emphasizing the need for layered defensive measures.