Vulnerabilities > CVE-2019-5539 - Untrusted Search Path vulnerability in VMWare Horizon View Agent and Workstation

047910
CVSS 4.4 - MEDIUM
Attack vector
LOCAL
Attack complexity
MEDIUM
Privileges required
NONE
Confidentiality impact
PARTIAL
Integrity impact
PARTIAL
Availability impact
PARTIAL
local
vmware
CWE-426
nessus

Summary

VMware Workstation (15.x prior to 15.5.1) and Horizon View Agent (7.10.x prior to 7.10.1 and 7.5.x prior to 7.5.4) contain a DLL hijacking vulnerability due to insecure loading of a DLL by Cortado Thinprint. Successful exploitation of this issue may allow attackers with normal user privileges to escalate their privileges to administrator on a Windows machine where Workstation or View Agent is installed.

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.

Nessus

  • NASL familyWindows
    NASL idVMWARE_HORIZON_VIEW_AGENT_VMSA-2019-0023.NASL
    descriptionThe VMware Horizon View Agent installed on the remote host is 7.x prior to 7.5.4, 7.10.1, or 7.11.0. It is, therefore, affected by a DLL hijacking vulnerability due to insecure loading of a DLL by Cortado Thinprint. An authenticated, local attacker with normal user privileges can exploit this to escalate their privileges to administrator on a Windows machine where View Agent is installed. Note that Nessus has not tested for this issue but has instead relied only on the application
    last seen2020-06-01
    modified2020-06-02
    plugin id132753
    published2020-01-10
    reporterThis script is Copyright (C) 2020 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.
    sourcehttps://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/132753
    titleVMware Horizon View Agent 7.x < 7.5.4 / 7.10.1 / 7.11.0 Privilege Escalation (VMSA-2019-0023)
    code
    #
    # (C) Tenable Network Security, Inc.
    #
    
    include('compat.inc');
    
    if (description)
    {
      script_id(132753);
      script_version("1.3");
      script_cvs_date("Date: 2020/01/13");
    
      script_cve_id("CVE-2019-5539");
      script_xref(name:"VMSA", value:"2019-0023");
      script_xref(name:"IAVB", value:"2020-B-0001");
    
      script_name(english:"VMware Horizon View Agent 7.x < 7.5.4 / 7.10.1 / 7.11.0 Privilege Escalation (VMSA-2019-0023)");
    
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"synopsis", value:
    "The remote host has a virtual desktop agent installed that is affected by a privilege escalation vulnerability.");
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"description", value:
    "The VMware Horizon View Agent installed on the remote host is 7.x prior to 7.5.4, 7.10.1, or 7.11.0. It is, therefore,
    affected by a DLL hijacking vulnerability due to insecure loading of a DLL by Cortado Thinprint. An authenticated,
    local attacker with normal user privileges can exploit this to escalate their privileges to administrator on a Windows
    machine where View Agent is installed.
    
    Note that Nessus has not tested for this issue but has instead relied only on the application's self-reported version
    number.");
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2019-0023.html");
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"solution", value:
    "Upgrade to VMware Horizon View Agent 7.5.4, 7.10.1, 7.11.0 or later.");
      script_set_cvss_base_vector("CVSS2#AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P");
      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:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H");
      script_set_cvss3_temporal_vector("CVSS:3.0/E:U/RL:O/RC:C");
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"cvss_score_source", value:"CVE-2019-5539");
    
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploitability_ease", value:"No known exploits are available");
    
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"vuln_publication_date", value:"2019/12/20");
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"patch_publication_date", value:"2019/12/20");
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_publication_date", value:"2020/01/10");
    
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_type", value:"local");
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/a:vmware:horizon_view_agent");
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"stig_severity", value:"I");
      script_end_attributes();
    
      script_category(ACT_GATHER_INFO);
      script_family(english:"Windows");
    
      script_copyright(english:"This script is Copyright (C) 2020 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.");
    
      script_dependencies("vmware_view_agent_detect.nasl");
      script_require_keys("installed_sw/VMware View Agent");
    
      exit(0);
    }
    
    include('vcf.inc');
    
    app = 'VMware View Agent';
    
    app_info = vcf::get_app_info(app:app, win_local:TRUE);
    
    constraints = [
      { 'min_version': '7.0', 'fixed_version' : '7.5.4' },
      { 'min_version': '7.6', 'fixed_version' : '7.10.1' }
    ];
    
    vcf::check_version_and_report(app_info:app_info, constraints:constraints, severity:SECURITY_WARNING);
    
  • NASL familyGeneral
    NASL idVMWARE_WORKSTATION_VMSA_2019_0023.NASL
    descriptionThe version of VMware Workstation installed on the remote Windows host is 15.0.x prior to 15.5.1. It is, therefore, affected by a vulnerability. Note that Nessus has not tested for these issues but has instead relied only on the application
    last seen2020-06-01
    modified2020-06-02
    plugin id132417
    published2019-12-27
    reporterThis script is Copyright (C) 2019-2020 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.
    sourcehttps://www.tenable.com/plugins/nessus/132417
    titleVMware Workstation 15.0.x < 15.5.1 Vulnerability (VMSA-2019-0023)
    code
    #
    # (C) Tenable Network Security, Inc.
    #
    
    include('compat.inc');
    
    if (description)
    {
      script_id(132417);
      script_version("1.3");
      script_cvs_date("Date: 2020/01/03");
    
      script_cve_id("CVE-2019-5539");
      script_xref(name:"VMSA", value:"2019-0023");
    
      script_name(english:"VMware Workstation 15.0.x < 15.5.1 Vulnerability (VMSA-2019-0023)");
    
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"synopsis", value:
    "A virtualization application installed on the remote Windows host is affected by a vulnerability");
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"description", value:
    "The version of VMware Workstation installed on the remote Windows host is 15.0.x prior to 15.5.1. It is, therefore,
    affected by a vulnerability.  Note that Nessus has not tested for these issues but has instead relied only on the
    application's self-reported version number.");
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2019-0023.html");
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"solution", value:
    "Update to VMware Workstation version 15.5.1, or later.");
      script_set_cvss_base_vector("CVSS2#AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P");
      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:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H");
      script_set_cvss3_temporal_vector("CVSS:3.0/E:U/RL:O/RC:C");
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"cvss_score_source", value:"CVE-2019-5539");
    
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploitability_ease", value:"No known exploits are available");
    
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"vuln_publication_date", value:"2019/12/20");
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"patch_publication_date", value:"2019/12/20");
      script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_publication_date", value:"2019/12/27");
    
      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:"General");
    
      script_copyright(english:"This script is Copyright (C) 2019-2020 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.");
    
      script_dependencies("vmware_workstation_detect.nasl");
      script_require_keys("SMB/Registry/Enumerated", "installed_sw/VMware Workstation");
    
      exit(0);
    }
    
    include('vcf.inc');
    
    get_kb_item_or_exit('SMB/Registry/Enumerated');
    
    app_info = vcf::get_app_info(app:'VMware Workstation', win_local:TRUE);
    
    constraints = [
      { 'min_version' : '15.0', 'fixed_version' : '15.5.1' }
    ];
    
    vcf::check_version_and_report(app_info:app_info, constraints:constraints, severity:SECURITY_WARNING);