CVE-2010-2223 in Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisor
Summary
by MITRE
Virtual Desktop Server Manager (VDSM) in Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisor (aka RHEV-H or rhev-hypervisor) before 5.5-2.2 does not properly perform VM post-zeroing after the removal of a virtual machine s data, which allows guest OS users to obtain sensitive information by examining the disk blocks associated with a deleted virtual machine.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/30/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-2223 affects the Virtual Desktop Server Manager component within Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Hypervisor versions prior to 5.5-2.2. This issue represents a critical data exposure vulnerability that fundamentally undermines the security guarantees of virtual machine isolation within the hypervisor environment. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of virtual machine data cleanup processes, specifically during the post-zeroing phase that should occur after virtual machine deletion operations. When a virtual machine is removed from the system, the hypervisor is expected to securely overwrite or zero out all disk blocks associated with that virtual machine to prevent data recovery by unauthorized parties.
The technical flaw manifests in the failure of the VDSM to properly execute the zeroing process for virtual machine storage data after deletion. This creates a window of opportunity for malicious guest operating system users to access previously deleted virtual machine disk content through direct disk block examination. The vulnerability operates at the storage level within the hypervisor architecture, where proper data sanitization procedures are bypassed or inadequately implemented. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-225 category of "Improper Cleanup of Sensitive Data" and represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and data isolation that virtualization environments must maintain.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to encompass potential compromise of sensitive data and system integrity. Guest operating system users who have access to the virtual machine environment can exploit this weakness to recover deleted files, system configurations, or confidential data that was previously stored on the virtual machine's disk. This creates a significant risk for multi-tenant environments where multiple virtual machines operate on shared physical hardware, as data leakage between different virtual environments becomes possible. The vulnerability effectively undermines the fundamental security model of virtualization by allowing unauthorized data recovery from deleted virtual machines.
The attack surface for this vulnerability includes any user with access to a guest operating system running on a vulnerable RHEV-H system, making it particularly dangerous in environments where guest users have elevated privileges or administrative access. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under the "Credential Access" and "Defense Evasion" domains, as attackers can leverage this weakness to extract sensitive information from compromised virtual machines. The vulnerability also relates to the broader category of "Information Disclosure" within cybersecurity frameworks, where proper data sanitization and secure deletion procedures are essential for maintaining system security.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement the available security patches provided by Red Hat for the RHEV-H 5.5-2.2 release and subsequent versions. Additional mitigations include implementing strict access controls for guest operating systems, monitoring virtual machine deletion activities, and establishing regular security audits of virtualization environments. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of secure data sanitization procedures in virtualized environments and demonstrates the necessity of comprehensive security testing for hypervisor components. Organizations should also consider implementing additional data loss prevention measures and regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar weaknesses in their virtualization infrastructure.