CVE-2014-7968 in Virtual Desktop Service Manager
Summary
by MITRE
VDSM allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (connection blocking) by keeping an SSL connection open.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/27/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7968 affects VDSM (Virtual Desktop Service Manager), a component of Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization that manages virtual machine operations. This flaw represents a classic denial of service condition where remote attackers can exploit the system by maintaining persistent SSL connections, ultimately leading to connection blocking that prevents legitimate users from accessing the service. The vulnerability resides in how VDSM handles SSL connection lifecycle management, specifically failing to properly terminate or timeout extended connections that remain inactive or indefinitely open.
From a technical perspective, the flaw stems from inadequate connection handling mechanisms within the SSL implementation of VDSM. When attackers establish SSL connections to the service and maintain them without proper closure or activity, the system fails to implement effective timeout mechanisms or connection limiting. This allows malicious actors to consume available connection slots or resources, effectively creating a resource exhaustion scenario that blocks legitimate connection attempts. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the SSL/TLS protocol implementation within the virtualization management framework, making it particularly dangerous in environments where connection management is critical for service availability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire virtualization infrastructure's availability. Organizations relying on VDSM for managing virtual desktops or server virtualization may experience complete service unavailability, affecting multiple users and applications that depend on the virtualization platform. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires minimal resources to execute and can be sustained over extended periods, making it difficult to distinguish from legitimate connection patterns. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability aspect of the CIA triad and can be classified under CWE-400, which addresses Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, while also relating to CWE-1321, which deals with Improper Resource Shutdown or Release.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-7968 should focus on implementing proper connection timeout mechanisms and resource management policies within VDSM configurations. Organizations should deploy connection limiting measures that prevent excessive concurrent SSL connections and establish automatic timeout intervals for idle connections. Network-level protections such as firewalls and load balancers can be configured to enforce connection limits and implement rate limiting for SSL connections. Additionally, regular monitoring of connection states and resource utilization should be implemented to detect anomalous connection patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The remediation process should involve applying the vendor-provided security patches or updates that address the SSL connection handling implementation. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers Network Denial of Service, and represents a classic example of how improper resource management can lead to service availability compromises in enterprise virtualization environments.