CVE-2017-8158 in FusionCompute
Summary
by MITRE
FusionCompute V100R005C00 and V100R005C10 have an improper authorization vulnerability due to improper permission settings for a certain file on the host machine. An authenticated attacker could create a large number of virtual machine (VM) processes to exhaust system resources. Successful exploit could make new VMs unavailable.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/11/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-8158 affects Huawei FusionCompute versions V100R005C00 and V100R005C10, representing a critical improper authorization flaw that stems from inadequate permission configurations on host machine files. This vulnerability resides within the virtualization platform's resource management mechanisms, specifically targeting the authorization controls that govern virtual machine process creation and system resource allocation. The flaw allows authenticated attackers to exploit a weakness in the permission model that governs how virtual machine processes are initiated and managed within the host environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through the attacker's ability to create an excessive number of virtual machine processes that consume system resources at an unsustainable rate. This improper authorization mechanism fails to enforce adequate resource limits or process throttling controls that would normally prevent a single authenticated user from overwhelming the host system's processing capabilities. The vulnerability specifically targets the file permission settings that control access to critical virtualization resources, allowing unauthorized resource consumption patterns that bypass normal operational constraints.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant denial of service condition where legitimate virtual machine operations become impossible due to resource exhaustion. When exploited successfully, the attacker can flood the system with virtual machine processes that consume memory, CPU cycles, and other critical system resources until the host becomes unable to accommodate new virtual machine requests. This scenario effectively renders the virtualization platform unusable for legitimate users while maintaining the attacker's authenticated access to the system.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control mechanisms, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with privilege escalation and resource exhaustion attack patterns. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability enables techniques such as privilege escalation through resource exhaustion and denial of service attacks that compromise system availability. The exploitation process typically involves authenticated access to the FusionCompute platform followed by the systematic creation of virtual machine processes that exceed normal resource allocation limits, ultimately leading to system instability and service disruption.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing strict resource quotas and process limits for authenticated users, enforcing proper file permission controls on critical virtualization files, and deploying monitoring systems that can detect unusual process creation patterns. System administrators should also consider implementing rate limiting mechanisms for virtual machine creation requests and establishing automated alerts when resource utilization exceeds predefined thresholds. Additionally, regular security audits of permission settings and access controls should be conducted to identify and remediate similar authorization flaws in the virtualization infrastructure. The vulnerability underscores the importance of implementing comprehensive access control policies and resource management controls in virtualized environments to prevent single-user exploitation from causing widespread service disruption.