CVE-2015-1044 in ESXi
Summary
by MITRE
vmware-authd (aka the Authorization process) in VMware Workstation 10.x before 10.0.5, VMware Player 6.x before 6.0.5, and VMware ESXi 5.0 through 5.5 allows attackers to cause a host OS denial of service via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/07/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-1044 affects VMware's authorization process component known as vmware-authd, which operates across multiple VMware products including VMware Workstation 10.x versions prior to 10.0.5, VMware Player 6.x versions before 6.0.5, and VMware ESXi versions 5.0 through 5.5. This authorization service represents a critical subsystem responsible for managing authentication and access control within VMware virtualization environments, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to disrupt system operations. The vulnerability manifests as a denial of service condition that can be triggered through unspecified attack vectors, potentially compromising the availability of the underlying host operating system.
The technical flaw within vmware-authd stems from inadequate input validation and error handling mechanisms within the authorization process. This weakness allows attackers to craft malicious inputs or exploit specific sequences that cause the authorization service to crash or become unresponsive, leading to a complete denial of service condition for the host system. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that multiple pathways exist for exploitation, potentially including malformed authentication requests, buffer overflows, or improper resource management within the authorization service. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-119, which addresses weaknesses in memory handling, and CWE-400, which covers resource exhaustion issues that can lead to denial of service conditions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as the vmware-authd process serves as a foundational component for authentication within VMware environments. When compromised, attackers can effectively render virtualization platforms unavailable, potentially affecting multiple virtual machines running on the same host system. This denial of service condition can be particularly devastating in enterprise environments where VMware virtualization platforms serve as critical infrastructure components. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely, making it accessible to attackers without requiring physical access to the target system, and the affected versions span multiple VMware product lines, increasing the potential attack surface significantly.
Security professionals should prioritize patching affected VMware products to mitigate this vulnerability, as the denial of service condition can severely impact business continuity and virtualization operations. Organizations should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to this vulnerability while monitoring for potential exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1499, which covers network denial of service attacks, and T1566, which addresses social engineering techniques that could be employed to exploit such authorization service weaknesses. System administrators should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems to monitor for anomalous authentication patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts against the vmware-authd service.