CVE-2013-4292 in libvirt
Summary
by MITRE
libvirt 1.1.0 and 1.1.1 allows local users to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via a large number of domain migrate parameters in certain RPC calls in (1) daemon/remote.c and (2) remote/remote_driver.c.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/02/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-4292 affects libvirt versions 1.1.0 and 1.1.1, representing a significant denial of service weakness that can be exploited by local attackers to consume excessive system memory. This issue stems from inadequate input validation within the remote procedure call handling mechanisms of the libvirt daemon, specifically in the daemon/remote.c and remote/remote_driver.c source files. The flaw manifests when large numbers of domain migration parameters are passed through RPC calls, creating a memory exhaustion condition that can bring the entire virtualization management service to a halt.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the libvirt daemon's insufficient bounds checking during the processing of migration parameters within RPC communications. When an attacker submits an excessive number of migration parameters through the remote driver interface, the system allocates memory to handle these parameters without proper rate limiting or parameter count validation. This memory allocation occurs in the daemon layer where remote.c processes incoming RPC requests and in the remote_driver.c component that manages the actual driver operations. The vulnerability falls under CWE-772, which describes "Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime," as the allocated memory is not properly managed or released during the processing of malformed RPC calls. The resource exhaustion occurs because the system fails to implement proper parameter validation that would limit the number of migration parameters that can be processed in a single RPC call.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a critical threat to virtualization environments that rely on libvirt for domain management and migration operations. Local attackers with access to the system can exploit this weakness to consume all available memory resources, effectively causing a denial of service that impacts the entire virtualization infrastructure. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires minimal privileges and can be executed by any local user with access to the libvirt daemon. The memory consumption pattern typically leads to system instability, application crashes, and potential system-wide performance degradation that affects all running virtual machines and management operations. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability aspect of the CIA triad, as it can be used to deny legitimate users access to virtualization services through resource exhaustion.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-4292 should focus on implementing proper input validation and resource limiting within the libvirt daemon's RPC processing components. System administrators should immediately upgrade to libvirt versions that contain patches addressing this vulnerability, as the official fix involves adding bounds checking to limit the number of migration parameters that can be processed in a single RPC call. Additionally, implementing monitoring solutions that track memory usage patterns and parameter counts in RPC calls can help detect potential exploitation attempts. Network segmentation and access controls should be enforced to limit local user access to the libvirt daemon where possible. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1499.004, which covers "Unauthorized Command Execution" and T1070.004, "File and Directory Permissions Modification," as local privilege escalation and resource manipulation techniques. Organizations should also consider implementing automated patch management processes to ensure timely deployment of security updates and maintain comprehensive logging of RPC activity to detect anomalous parameter usage patterns.