The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued a critical warning regarding two newly discovered vulnerabilities in VMware’s vCenter Server.
These vulnerabilities, identified as CVE-2024-38812 and CVE-2024-38813, have the potential to be exploited by attackers, posing significant risks to organizations relying on VMware’s popular virtualization management platform.
CVE-2024-38812: Heap-Based Buffer Overflow
The first vulnerability, CVE-2024-38812, is a heap-based buffer overflow in the implementation of the DCERPC protocol within the vCenter Server.
If exploited, an attacker with network access could send specially crafted packets to execute remote code on the server, effectively gaining unauthorized control.
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This vulnerability, linked to CWE-122, represents a severe security flaw that could jeopardize critical operations within virtualized environments.
CVE-2024-38813: Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
The second vulnerability, CVE-2024-38813, involves improper checks for dropped privileges, creating an opportunity for privilege escalation.
Exploiting this flaw allows an attacker with network access to elevate their privileges to root, giving them full administrative control over the system.
This issue is tied to CWE-250 and CWE-273, highlighting its potential for abuse in sophisticated attacks.
While there is no confirmed evidence that these vulnerabilities are currently being exploited in ransomware campaigns, the risk they pose cannot be overstated.
VMware’s vCenter Server is a cornerstone for managing virtualized infrastructure, making it a high-value target for cybercriminals.
CISA has emphasized the urgency of addressing these issues and urged organizations to implement VMware’s recommended updates and mitigations immediately.
For organizations unable to perform these updates, discontinuing the use of vulnerable products is strongly advised. The deadline for remediation has been set for December 11, 2024.
Given the widespread use of vCenter Server in enterprise environments, a failure to act could expose organizations to devastating breaches.
Organizations are encouraged to consult VMware’s official advisories and take swift action to safeguard their infrastructure.
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