Vulnerabilities > CVE-2019-5526 - Uncontrolled Search Path Element vulnerability in VMWare Workstation

047910
CVSS 7.8 - HIGH
Attack vector
LOCAL
Attack complexity
LOW
Privileges required
NONE
Confidentiality impact
HIGH
Integrity impact
HIGH
Availability impact
HIGH
local
low complexity
vmware
CWE-427
nessus
exploit available
NVD
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2020-08-24

Summary

VMware Workstation (15.x before 15.1.0) contains a DLL hijacking issue because some DLL files are improperly loaded by the application. Successful exploitation of this issue may allow attackers with normal user privileges to escalate their privileges to administrator on a windows host where Workstation is installed.

Vulnerable Configurations

Part Description Count
Application
Vmware
10

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

  • Leveraging/Manipulating Configuration File Search Paths
    This attack loads a malicious resource into a program's standard path used to bootstrap and/or provide contextual information for a program like a path variable or classpath. J2EE applications and other component based applications that are built from multiple binaries can have very long list of dependencies to execute. If one of these libraries and/or references is controllable by the attacker then application controls can be circumvented by the attacker. A standard UNIX path looks similar to this If the attacker modifies the path variable to point to a locale that includes malicious resources then the user unwittingly can execute commands on the attackers' behalf: This is a form of usurping control of the program and the attack can be done on the classpath, database resources, or any other resources built from compound parts. At runtime detection and blocking of this attack is nearly impossible, because the configuration allows execution.
  • DLL Search Order Hijacking
    The attacker exploits the functionality of the Windows DLL loader where the process loading the DLL searches for the DLL to be loaded first in the same directory in which the process binary resides and then in other directories (e.g., System32). Exploitation of this preferential search order can allow an attacker to make the loading process load the attackers' rogue DLL rather than the legitimate DLL. For instance, an attacker with access to the file system may place a malicious ntshrui.dll in the C:\Windows directory. This DLL normally resides in the System32 folder. Process explorer.exe which also resides in C:\Windows, upon trying to load the ntshrui.dll from the System32 folder will actually load the DLL supplied by the attacker simply because of the preferential search order. Since the attacker has placed its malicious ntshrui.dll in the same directory as the loading explorer.exe process, the DLL supplied by the attacker will be found first and thus loaded in lieu of the legitimate DLL. Since explorer.exe is loaded during the boot cycle, the attackers' malware is guaranteed to execute. This attack can be leveraged with many different DLLs and with many different loading processes. No forensic trails are left in the system's registry or file system that an incorrect DLL had been loaded.

Exploit-Db

idEDB-ID:46851
last seen2019-05-16
modified2019-05-16
published2019-05-16
reporterExploit-DB
sourcehttps://www.exploit-db.com/download/46851
titleVMware Workstation 15.1.0 - DLL Hijacking

Nessus

NASL familyWindows
NASL idVMWARE_WORKSTATION_WIN_VMSA_2019_0007.NASL
descriptionThe version of VMware Workstation installed on the remote host is 15.x prior to 15.1.0. It is, therefore, affected by DLL-hijacking vulnerability. An authenticated, attacker can exploit this to gain privileged or administrator access to the host system.
last seen2020-06-01
modified2020-06-02
plugin id125224
published2019-05-16
reporterThis script is Copyright (C) 2019 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.
sourcehttps://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/125224
titleVMware Workstation 15.x < 15.1.0 DLL-hijacking Vulnerability (VMSA-2019-0007)
code
#
# (C) Tenable Network Security, Inc.
#

include("compat.inc");

if (description)
{
  script_id(125224);
  script_version("1.3");
  script_cvs_date("Date: 2019/10/30 13:24:47");

  script_cve_id("CVE-2019-5526");
  script_bugtraq_id(108333);
  script_xref(name:"VMSA", value:"2019-0007");

  script_name(english:"VMware Workstation 15.x < 15.1.0 DLL-hijacking Vulnerability (VMSA-2019-0007)");
  script_summary(english:"Checks the VMware Workstation version.");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"synopsis", value:
"A virtualization application installed on the remote Windows host is affected by DLL-hijacking vulnerability.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"description", value:
"The version of VMware Workstation installed on the remote host is 15.x prior to 15.1.0. It is, therefore, affected by
DLL-hijacking vulnerability. An authenticated, attacker can exploit this to gain privileged or administrator access to
the host system.");
# https://www.vmware.com/il/security/advisories/VMSA-2019-0007.html
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"http://www.nessus.org/u?a8109771");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"solution", value:
"Upgrade to VMware Workstation version 15.1.0, or later.");
  script_set_cvss_base_vector("CVSS2#AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C");
  script_set_cvss_temporal_vector("CVSS2#E:POC/RL:OF/RC:C");
  script_set_cvss3_base_vector("CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H");
  script_set_cvss3_temporal_vector("CVSS:3.0/E:P/RL:O/RC:C");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cvss_score_source", value:"CVE-2019-5526");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploitability_ease", value:"Exploits are available");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploit_available", value:"true");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"vuln_publication_date", value:"2019/05/14");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"patch_publication_date", value:"2019/05/14");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_publication_date", value:"2019/05/16");

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

  script_category(ACT_GATHER_INFO);
  script_family(english:"Windows");

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

  script_dependencies("vmware_workstation_detect.nasl");

  exit(0);
}

include("vcf.inc");

if (get_kb_item('SMB/Registry/Enumerated')) win_local = TRUE;

app_info = vcf::get_app_info(app:'VMware Workstation', win_local:win_local);

vcf::check_granularity(app_info:app_info, sig_segments:2);

constraints = [
  { 'min_version' : '15', 'fixed_version' : '15.1.0' }
];

vcf::check_version_and_report(app_info:app_info, constraints:constraints, severity:SECURITY_HOLE);

Packetstorm

data sourcehttps://packetstormsecurity.com/files/download/152946/vmware15-dllhijack.txt
idPACKETSTORM:152946
last seen2019-05-18
published2019-05-16
reporterMiguel Mendez Z
sourcehttps://packetstormsecurity.com/files/152946/VMware-Workstation-DLL-Hijacking.html
titleVMware Workstation DLL Hijacking

References