27418 : VMware vmware-config.pl SSL Key File Permission Weakness
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Info

Last Modified
6 months ago

Percent Complete
100%

Disclosure
Jul 18, 2006

Discovery
Jun 01, 2006

Dates

Exploit
Jul 18, 2006

Solution
Unknown

Description

 VMware ESX Server, VMware GSX Server, VMware Player, VMware Server, and VMware Workstation utilize a flawed vmware-config.pl script that may lead to an unauthorized information disclosure. Under certain circumstances, the vmware-config.pl script may set weak file permissions on the SSL key used by VMware to encrypt console and management communications. If this key file is accessed by unauthorized users, it can be used to attack and decrypt the SSL communications of the affected VMware product, leading to a loss of confidentiality. This issue is not valid for VMware products running under the Windows operating system.

Classification

 Location: Local Access Required
Attack Type: Information Disclosure
Impact: Loss of Confidentiality
Exploit: Exploit Available
Disclosure: OSVDB Verified

Technical

 The flaw in the vmware-config.pl script is that it uses the native Perl chmod() function to set permissions on the SSL key files. This function does not have any checking to ensure that the chmod command completed successfully. Therefore, it is possible that the command does not perform the necessary changes, leaving the key files exposed. In the patched version of the script, the custom safe_chmod() function is used instead, which does the necessary checks.

Solution

 Upgrade to the latest VMware version (ESX 3.0.1, Server 1.0.3, Workstation 6.0), as it has been reported to fix this vulnerability. Additionally, the vendor has released a patch to address this issue, or users may opt to apply the following workaround:

Assuming VMware has been installed with the default paths, these two commands (executed as root), will set the proper file permissions on the SSL key files:

chmod 400 /etc/vmware/ssl/rui.key
chmod 444 /etc/vmware/ssl/rui.crt

Products
VMware, Inc.
Watch-list
VMware Workstation
Watch-list
 5.5.x
VMware ESX Server
Watch-list
 2.0.x
2.1.x
2.5.x
VMware Player
Watch-list
 1.0.x
VMware GSX Server
Watch-list
 3.x
VMware Server
Watch-list
 1.0.x

References

Credit
  • Nick Breese - nick.breeseBrand New Doo Doosecurity-assessment.com - Security-Assessment.com

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