Vulnerabilities > CVE-2016-5328 - Information Exposure vulnerability in VMWare Tools

047910
CVSS 2.1 - LOW
Attack vector
LOCAL
Attack complexity
LOW
Privileges required
NONE
Confidentiality impact
PARTIAL
Integrity impact
NONE
Availability impact
NONE
local
low complexity
vmware
apple
CWE-200
nessus

Summary

VMware Tools 9.x and 10.x before 10.1.0 on OS X, when System Integrity Protection (SIP) is enabled, allows local users to determine kernel memory addresses and bypass the kASLR protection mechanism via unspecified vectors.

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

  • Subverting Environment Variable Values
    The attacker directly or indirectly modifies environment variables used by or controlling the target software. The attacker's goal is to cause the target software to deviate from its expected operation in a manner that benefits the attacker.
  • Footprinting
    An attacker engages in probing and exploration activity to identify constituents and properties of the target. Footprinting is a general term to describe a variety of information gathering techniques, often used by attackers in preparation for some attack. It consists of using tools to learn as much as possible about the composition, configuration, and security mechanisms of the targeted application, system or network. Information that might be collected during a footprinting effort could include open ports, applications and their versions, network topology, and similar information. While footprinting is not intended to be damaging (although certain activities, such as network scans, can sometimes cause disruptions to vulnerable applications inadvertently) it may often pave the way for more damaging attacks.
  • Exploiting Trust in Client (aka Make the Client Invisible)
    An attack of this type exploits a programs' vulnerabilities in client/server communication channel authentication and data integrity. It leverages the implicit trust a server places in the client, or more importantly, that which the server believes is the client. An attacker executes this type of attack by placing themselves in the communication channel between client and server such that communication directly to the server is possible where the server believes it is communicating only with a valid client. There are numerous variations of this type of attack.
  • Browser Fingerprinting
    An attacker carefully crafts small snippets of Java Script to efficiently detect the type of browser the potential victim is using. Many web-based attacks need prior knowledge of the web browser including the version of browser to ensure successful exploitation of a vulnerability. Having this knowledge allows an attacker to target the victim with attacks that specifically exploit known or zero day weaknesses in the type and version of the browser used by the victim. Automating this process via Java Script as a part of the same delivery system used to exploit the browser is considered more efficient as the attacker can supply a browser fingerprinting method and integrate it with exploit code, all contained in Java Script and in response to the same web page request by the browser.
  • Session Credential Falsification through Prediction
    This attack targets predictable session ID in order to gain privileges. The attacker can predict the session ID used during a transaction to perform spoofing and session hijacking.

Nessus

NASL familyMacOS X Local Security Checks
NASL idMACOSX_VMWARE_TOOLS_VMSA_2016_0017.NASL
descriptionThe version of VMware Tools installed on the remote macOS or Mac OS X host is 9.x or 10.x prior to 10.1.0. It is, therefore, affected by an information disclosure vulnerability in the System Integrity Protection (SIP) feature. A local attacker can exploit this issue to obtain kernel memory addresses and thereby bypass the kASLR protection mechanism.
last seen2020-06-01
modified2020-06-02
plugin id94339
published2016-10-27
reporterThis script is Copyright (C) 2016-2019 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.
sourcehttps://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/94339
titleVMware Tools 9.x / 10.x < 10.1.0 Kernel Memory Address Disclosure (VMSA-2016-0017) (Mac OS X)
code
#
# (C) Tenable Network Security, Inc.
#

include("compat.inc");

if (description)
{
  script_id(94339);
  script_version("1.7");
  script_cvs_date("Date: 2019/11/14");

  script_cve_id("CVE-2016-5328");
  script_bugtraq_id(93886);
  script_xref(name:"VMSA", value:"2016-0017");

  script_name(english:"VMware Tools 9.x / 10.x < 10.1.0 Kernel Memory Address Disclosure (VMSA-2016-0017) (Mac OS X)");
  script_summary(english:"Checks the VMware Tools version.");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"synopsis", value:
"A virtualization application installed on the remote macOS or Mac OS
X host is affected by an information disclosure vulnerability.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"description", value:
"The version of VMware Tools installed on the remote macOS or Mac OS X
host is 9.x or 10.x prior to 10.1.0. It is, therefore, affected by an
information disclosure vulnerability in the System Integrity
Protection (SIP) feature. A local attacker can exploit this issue
to obtain kernel memory addresses and thereby bypass the kASLR
protection mechanism.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2016-0017.html");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"solution", value:
"Upgrade to VMware Tools version 10.1.0 or later.");
  script_set_cvss_base_vector("CVSS2#AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N");
  script_set_cvss_temporal_vector("CVSS2#E:U/RL:OF/RC:C");
  script_set_cvss3_base_vector("CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N");
  script_set_cvss3_temporal_vector("CVSS:3.0/E:U/RL:O/RC:C");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cvss_score_source", value:"CVE-2016-5328");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploitability_ease", value:"No known exploits are available");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploit_available", value:"false");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"vuln_publication_date", value:"2016/10/25");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"patch_publication_date", value:"2016/10/25");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_publication_date", value:"2016/10/27");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"potential_vulnerability", value:"true");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_type", value:"local");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/a:vmware:tools");
  script_end_attributes();

  script_category(ACT_GATHER_INFO);
  script_family(english:"MacOS X Local Security Checks");

  script_copyright(english:"This script is Copyright (C) 2016-2019 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.");

  script_dependencies("macosx_vmware_tools_installed.nbin");
  script_require_keys("Host/local_checks_enabled", "installed_sw/VMware Tools", "Settings/ParanoidReport");

  exit(0);
}

include("audit.inc");
include("global_settings.inc");
include("install_func.inc");
include("misc_func.inc");

get_kb_item_or_exit("Host/local_checks_enabled");

os = get_kb_item("Host/MacOSX/Version");
if (!os) audit(AUDIT_OS_NOT, "Mac OS X");

app = "VMware Tools";

install = get_single_install(app_name:app, exit_if_unknown_ver:TRUE);
version = install['version'];
path    = install['path'];

# Exploitation requires that System Integrity Protection (SIP) is enabled.
if (report_paranoia < 2) audit(AUDIT_PARANOID);

fix = '10.1.0';

if (version =~ "^(9|10)\." && ver_compare(ver:version, fix:fix, strict:FALSE) < 0)
{
  report +=
    '\n  Path              : ' + path +
    '\n  Installed version : ' + version +
    '\n  Fixed version     : ' + fix +
    '\n';
  security_report_v4(port:0, extra:report, severity:SECURITY_NOTE);
}
else audit(AUDIT_INST_PATH_NOT_VULN, app, version, path);