CVE-2019-1230 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE
An information disclosure vulnerability exists when the Windows Hyper-V Network Switch on a host operating system fails to properly validate input from an authenticated user on a guest operating system, aka 'Hyper-V Information Disclosure Vulnerability'.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/26/2020
The CVE-2019-1230 vulnerability represents a critical information disclosure flaw within Microsoft Windows Hyper-V virtualization infrastructure, specifically affecting the Hyper-V Network Switch component. This vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation mechanisms that govern communication between host and guest operating systems within virtualized environments. The flaw exists in the network switch implementation that handles data flow between virtual machines and the physical network infrastructure, creating a pathway for unauthorized information exposure that could compromise the integrity of virtualized computing environments.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper validation of network packets and configuration data transmitted from guest operating systems to the host Hyper-V Network Switch. When an authenticated user operating within a guest VM sends malformed or specially crafted network input, the host switch component fails to adequately sanitize or validate this data before processing it. This validation failure allows the guest system to potentially access or disclose sensitive information that should remain restricted to the host operating system or other virtual machines. The vulnerability operates at the hypervisor level, making it particularly dangerous as it can bypass traditional operating system security boundaries and access data that should be isolated between virtual environments.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations relying on Hyper-V virtualization technologies, as it could enable a compromised guest operating system to extract confidential information from the host system or other VMs running on the same physical host. Attackers could potentially leverage this flaw to access memory contents, configuration data, or other sensitive information that should remain isolated within their respective virtual environments. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the vulnerability could potentially serve as a stepping stone for further attacks, allowing threat actors to gather intelligence about the underlying host system, network configuration, or other virtual machines that share the same physical infrastructure. This information could then be used to plan more sophisticated attacks targeting the host system or other VMs within the same environment.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying Microsoft security updates and patches released for this vulnerability, which address the input validation flaws in the Hyper-V Network Switch component. Network segmentation and isolation measures should be enhanced to limit communication between VMs where possible, and monitoring should be implemented to detect unusual network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and represents a significant concern from an attacker perspective as outlined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the information disclosure tactic. Additionally, organizations should review their virtualization security configurations and ensure that appropriate isolation measures are in place between VMs, particularly when running untrusted or potentially compromised guest operating systems.