CVE-2019-1397 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE
A remote code execution vulnerability exists when Windows Hyper-V on a host server fails to properly validate input from an authenticated user on a guest operating system, aka 'Windows Hyper-V Remote Code Execution Vulnerability'. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2019-1389, CVE-2019-1398.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/11/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2019-1397 represents a critical remote code execution flaw within Microsoft Windows Hyper-V virtualization platform. This vulnerability specifically affects host servers running Hyper-V hypervisor when they fail to properly validate input originating from authenticated users within guest operating systems. The flaw exists at the boundary between virtualization layers where guest VMs can potentially exploit insufficient input validation mechanisms to execute arbitrary code on the underlying host system. Such a vulnerability creates a significant attack surface that could allow malicious actors to escalate privileges and compromise the entire host infrastructure.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper validation of input parameters that are passed from guest operating systems to the Hyper-V hypervisor components. When authenticated users within a guest VM attempt to manipulate input data that flows through the virtualization stack, the host system fails to adequately sanitize or validate these inputs before processing them. This validation failure creates a pathway for malicious code injection that can bypass traditional security controls and execute with the privileges of the host system. The vulnerability specifically impacts the communication mechanisms between guest and host virtualization components, allowing for privilege escalation from guest-level execution to host-level code execution.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses severe risks to virtualized environments where multiple tenants or users share the same physical infrastructure. Attackers who gain access to a guest VM can leverage this flaw to execute code on the host system, potentially compromising all other VMs running on the same physical server. This creates a multi-tenant attack vector that could result in widespread system compromise, data exfiltration, and service disruption across multiple virtualized workloads. The vulnerability essentially undermines the fundamental security isolation that virtualization platforms are designed to provide, making it particularly dangerous in cloud computing and data center environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-1397 should focus on immediate patch deployment through Microsoft's regular security updates, as this vulnerability was addressed in the Microsoft Security Response Center's patch releases. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit guest VM access to host systems and consider disabling unnecessary Hyper-V features that could expose additional attack vectors. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and script injection. Additionally, implementing strict access controls, monitoring guest-to-host communication patterns, and conducting regular security assessments of virtualization environments can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing hypervisor-level security controls and maintaining detailed audit logs to track potential exploitation attempts.