CVE-2010-1138 in Server
Summary
by MITRE
The virtual networking stack in VMware Workstation 7.0 before 7.0.1 build 227600, VMware Workstation 6.5.x before 6.5.4 build 246459 on Windows, VMware Player 3.0 before 3.0.1 build 227600, VMware Player 2.5.x before 2.5.4 build 246459 on Windows, VMware ACE 2.6 before 2.6.1 build 227600 and 2.5.x before 2.5.4 build 246459, VMware Server 2.x, and VMware Fusion 3.0 before 3.0.1 build 232708 and 2.x before 2.0.7 build 246742 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information from memory on the host OS by examining received network packets, related to interaction between the guest OS and the host vmware-vmx process.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/29/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical information disclosure flaw in VMware's virtualization infrastructure that affects multiple products including workstation, player, ace, server, and fusion editions. The issue stems from improper memory handling within the virtual networking stack where guest operating systems can potentially access sensitive memory segments belonging to the host operating system through crafted network packets. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the isolation mechanisms that virtualization platforms are designed to maintain between guest and host environments. The vulnerability specifically impacts versions prior to their respective security patches, with affected releases including VMware Workstation 7.0 before 7.0.1, Player 3.0 before 3.0.1, ACE 2.6 before 2.6.1, and various other editions with their corresponding build numbers.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in how the vmware-vmx process handles network packet processing and memory management when communicating between guest and host operating systems. When network packets are received by the virtualized environment, the flawed implementation fails to properly sanitize or isolate memory references, allowing malicious packets to trigger memory inspection behaviors that expose host system information. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-200 category of "Information Exposure" and represents a classic case of insufficient input validation and memory protection mechanisms. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires only network-based communication from a guest operating system to the host, making it exploitable in scenarios where users might run untrusted virtual machines or where network isolation is compromised.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it undermines the fundamental security model of virtualization platforms. An attacker with access to a guest operating system could potentially extract sensitive information such as kernel memory contents, cryptographic keys, passwords, or other confidential data from the host system. This information disclosure could lead to further exploitation opportunities including privilege escalation, credential theft, or complete system compromise. The vulnerability affects all supported platforms where the affected VMware products are installed, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments that rely heavily on virtualization technologies. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.001 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell) and T1005 (Data from Local System) as attackers could leverage the information disclosure to gather system artifacts and potentially escalate privileges.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the patched versions of all affected VMware products as specified in the vendor advisories. The recommended approach involves applying the security patches released by VMware that address the memory handling issues in the virtual networking stack. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, virtual machine configurations should be reviewed to ensure proper isolation boundaries and that unnecessary network access is restricted. Security teams should also monitor for any attempts to access host memory through virtual machine network interfaces and implement network-based intrusion detection systems to flag suspicious packet patterns. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date virtualization infrastructure and demonstrates how even seemingly benign network operations can be exploited to compromise host system security.