CVE-2013-3079 in vCenter Server Appliance
Summary
by MITRE
VMware vCenter Server Appliance (vCSA) 5.1 before Update 1 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary programs with root privileges by leveraging Virtual Appliance Management Interface (VAMI) access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-3079 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within VMware vCenter Server Appliance version 5.1 prior to Update 1. This issue affects organizations that rely on VMware's virtualization management platform for their data center operations, creating a significant security risk that could compromise entire virtual infrastructures. The vulnerability stems from improper access controls within the Virtual Appliance Management Interface, which serves as a web-based administrative portal for managing VMware vCenter Server appliances.
The technical flaw manifests through the Virtual Appliance Management Interface's insufficient validation of user permissions and authentication mechanisms. When authenticated users access the VAMI interface, the system fails to properly enforce privilege boundaries, allowing legitimate users to escalate their privileges to root level access. This occurs because the interface does not adequately verify that the requesting user has the appropriate authorization levels to execute administrative commands that would typically require root privileges. The vulnerability specifically exploits the trust relationship between the management interface and the underlying operating system, enabling malicious or compromised authenticated users to execute arbitrary programs with elevated privileges.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe threat to enterprise security postures, particularly in environments where vCenter Server appliances serve as central management points for virtualized infrastructures. Attackers who can authenticate to the vCSA system gain the ability to execute arbitrary code with root privileges, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or disruption of virtualized services. The implications extend beyond individual appliance compromise, as vCenter Server appliances often control multiple virtual machines and host systems, making this vulnerability a potential gateway for broader network infiltration. Organizations utilizing this version of vCenter Server Appliance face significant risk of unauthorized access to their virtual environments and associated sensitive data.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with privilege escalation attacks in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the Privilege Escalation technique category. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying VMware's official security patches and updates, reviewing and restricting VAMI access to only necessary administrative users, implementing network segmentation around management interfaces, and monitoring for suspicious authentication patterns. Additionally, organizations should consider disabling VAMI access when not actively required for administration and ensure that all administrative accounts follow strong authentication practices including multi-factor authentication to reduce the attack surface and limit potential exploitation of this vulnerability.