CVE-2015-5293 in Enterprise Virtualization Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Manager 3.6 and earlier gives valid SLAAC IPv6 addresses to interfaces when "boot protocol" is set to None, which might allow remote attackers to communicate with a system designated to be unreachable.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/10/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-5293 affects Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Manager versions 3.6 and earlier, specifically concerning IPv6 address configuration management within virtual machine interfaces. This issue arises from improper handling of Stateless Address Autoconfiguration (SLAAC) mechanisms when network interfaces are configured with a "boot protocol" setting of "None." The flaw represents a significant security oversight in network isolation controls, as it allows unauthorized communication channels to be established despite system configurations intended to restrict network access.
The technical root cause stems from the virtualization manager's failure to properly enforce network isolation policies when SLAAC addresses are automatically assigned to interfaces. When the boot protocol is set to None, the system should typically disable automatic IP address assignment and maintain the interface in a restricted state. However, the vulnerability enables the system to assign valid SLAAC IPv6 addresses to these interfaces, effectively bypassing intended network security controls. This behavior creates a scenario where virtual machines or network interfaces that should remain unreachable can be accessed through automatically configured IPv6 addresses, potentially exposing systems to unauthorized network communication.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple network access issues, as it fundamentally compromises network segmentation and isolation principles that are critical for virtualized environments. Attackers can leverage this flaw to establish communication channels with systems that were designed to be unreachable, potentially enabling lateral movement within virtualized infrastructures, reconnaissance activities, or even direct exploitation of services running on these interfaces. The vulnerability particularly affects environments where strict network isolation is required, such as multi-tenant cloud deployments or security-sensitive virtualized applications where network access control is paramount.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-665 and CWE-284 categories, specifically addressing improper initialization of resources and inadequate access control mechanisms in network configuration management. The flaw demonstrates a weakness in the principle of least privilege and network segmentation enforcement within virtualization platforms. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving network discovery, lateral movement, and privilege escalation through network access control bypass. The vulnerability represents a critical gap in the virtualization management layer that could be exploited to undermine the security posture of entire virtualized environments.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Manager versions that address this vulnerability, implementing additional network segmentation controls, and monitoring for unauthorized IPv6 address assignments. Network administrators should also verify that virtual machine network configurations properly enforce isolation policies and consider implementing explicit firewall rules to restrict IPv6 traffic to only authorized interfaces. The vulnerability underscores the importance of proper network configuration management in virtualized environments and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of virtualization management platforms to ensure that network isolation controls function as intended.