CVE-2024-22256 in Cloud Director
Summary
by MITRE • 03/07/2024
VMware Cloud Director contains a partial information disclosure vulnerability. A malicious actor can potentially gather information about organization names based on the behavior of the instance.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/07/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-22256 resides within VMware Cloud Director, a cloud management platform that enables organizations to deliver cloud services and manage virtual infrastructure. This partial information disclosure flaw represents a significant concern for cloud security posture, as it allows unauthorized actors to potentially infer sensitive organizational data through indirect means. The vulnerability manifests when a malicious actor observes the behavior of the Cloud Director instance, specifically focusing on how the system responds to various requests and operations. This type of information disclosure occurs without requiring direct exploitation of authentication mechanisms or privilege escalation, making it particularly concerning for environments where access controls are properly implemented but indirect reconnaissance remains possible.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under the category of information disclosure, which is classified as CWE-200 in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. The flaw operates by exposing organizational metadata through the application's response patterns, timing behaviors, or error messages that inadvertently reveal information about the structure and naming conventions of organizations within the Cloud Director environment. Attackers can leverage this information to build profiles of target organizations, potentially identifying which entities are using the platform and understanding their organizational hierarchies. This behavior aligns with techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under the information gathering phase, specifically related to reconnaissance activities that do not require direct system compromise. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited through passive observation rather than active attacks, making detection more challenging for security monitoring systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information gathering, as it can facilitate more sophisticated attacks by providing attackers with valuable intelligence for social engineering campaigns or targeted exploitation attempts. Organizations using VMware Cloud Director may find their organizational structure and naming conventions exposed to potential adversaries, which could be used to craft more convincing phishing attacks or to identify specific targets within the organization. The disclosure of organization names and their associated patterns can also aid in reconnaissance activities for broader attack campaigns, as attackers can use this information to understand the scale and complexity of the target environment. This vulnerability particularly affects multi-tenant environments where multiple organizations share the same Cloud Director instance, as it could enable cross-tenant information leakage through careful observation of system behavior patterns.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-22256 should focus on implementing proper input validation and response normalization to prevent information leakage through behavioral patterns. Organizations should ensure that all system responses are consistent regardless of the underlying data or organizational structure, eliminating any variations that could reveal organizational information. Configuration management should include disabling or restricting access to administrative interfaces where such information disclosure could occur, and implementing proper network segmentation to limit exposure. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual observation patterns or automated reconnaissance activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. VMware has released patches addressing this vulnerability, and organizations should prioritize applying these updates to their Cloud Director instances. Additionally, implementing proper access controls and regularly reviewing system logs for suspicious activities can help detect potential exploitation attempts. The remediation process should also include security awareness training for administrators to recognize potential reconnaissance activities that might exploit such information disclosure vulnerabilities.