CVE-2019-0711 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE
A denial of service vulnerability exists when Microsoft Hyper-V on a host server fails to properly validate input from a privileged user on a guest operating system, aka 'Windows Hyper-V Denial of Service Vulnerability'. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2019-0710, CVE-2019-0713.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/20/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2019-0711 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization platform that specifically affects host servers running Windows operating systems. This vulnerability resides in the Hyper-V hypervisor component responsible for managing virtual machine operations and resource allocation. The flaw manifests when the host server fails to properly validate input data originating from a privileged user within a guest operating system, creating a potential pathway for malicious actors to disrupt normal system operations. The issue is particularly concerning because it leverages the trust relationship between host and guest environments, where a privileged user in the guest can exploit this weakness to impact the host system's stability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within Hyper-V's privilege escalation handling processes. When a guest operating system user with elevated privileges sends malformed or unexpected input data to the host hypervisor, the system fails to properly sanitize or validate these inputs before processing them. This lack of proper validation creates a condition where the hypervisor may become overwhelmed or enter an unstable state, ultimately resulting in a denial of service scenario that affects the entire host server's ability to maintain virtual machine operations. The vulnerability specifically targets the communication channels between guest and host environments, exploiting the inherent trust model that exists between these components.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to organizations relying on Hyper-V virtualization infrastructure. A successful exploitation could result in complete service disruption for all virtual machines hosted on the affected server, potentially affecting multiple business-critical applications and services. The attack vector requires only a privileged user within a guest operating system, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by malicious insiders or compromised guest systems. Organizations may experience extended downtime, service interruptions, and potential data loss during recovery operations, while the incident could also compromise the overall security posture of the virtualized environment.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-0711 should focus on immediate patch application from Microsoft as the primary defense mechanism, alongside enhanced monitoring of guest-to-host communication patterns. Network segmentation and privilege least privilege principles should be enforced to limit the potential impact of compromised guest systems. Security teams should implement comprehensive monitoring solutions to detect unusual input patterns or resource consumption spikes that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing virtual machine isolation measures and regular security assessments of their Hyper-V environments to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-20 Input Validation and CWE-310 Cryptographic Issues categories, while the attack patterns correspond to techniques found in the ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and denial of service tactics.