CVE-2016-2076 in vCenter Server
Summary
by MITRE
Client Integration Plugin (CIP) in VMware vCenter Server 5.5 U3a, U3b, and U3c and 6.0 before U2; vCloud Director 5.5.5; and vRealize Automation Identity Appliance 6.2.4 before 6.2.4.1 mishandles session content, which allows remote attackers to hijack sessions via a crafted web site.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/25/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-2076 represents a critical session management flaw within VMware's Client Integration Plugin component that affects multiple products including vCenter Server versions 5.5 U3a through U3c and 6.0 before U2, vCloud Director 5.5.5, and vRealize Automation Identity Appliance 6.2.4 before 6.2.4.1. This weakness stems from improper handling of session content which creates an avenue for remote attackers to execute session hijacking attacks through malicious web sites. The flaw resides in the manner these VMware products manage and validate session identifiers, particularly when processing session-related data from web requests.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a failure in session validation mechanisms where the Client Integration Plugin does not adequately sanitize or validate session content received from external web sources. This insufficient validation allows attackers to craft malicious web pages that can manipulate session tokens or session state information in a way that enables them to assume the identity of legitimate users. The vulnerability specifically exploits the lack of proper session isolation and content validation, creating a path for attackers to inject malicious session data that can be interpreted by the vulnerable components as legitimate user sessions.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to VMware environments as it allows remote attackers to gain unauthorized access to administrative functions and user sessions without requiring authentication credentials. The impact extends beyond simple session hijacking to potentially enable full administrative control over affected systems, particularly given that vCenter Server serves as a central management point for virtualized environments. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to access sensitive virtual machine configurations, manipulate virtual infrastructure, and potentially escalate privileges within the environment. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on VMware's integrated management solutions, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments where these products are widely deployed.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant VMware patches and updates that address this session management flaw, particularly focusing on the specific versions mentioned in the vulnerability description. Network segmentation and monitoring of session-related traffic can help detect potential exploitation attempts, while implementing proper session management practices such as secure session token generation and validation should be enforced. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-384, which describes session management flaws, and corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1566 related to phishing attacks that can be leveraged for initial access and privilege escalation within virtualized environments. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any remaining instances of the vulnerable software versions within the organization's infrastructure.