#VU32018 Improper access control in libvirt - CVE-2019-10166

Vulnerability identifier: #VU32018

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 5.9 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2019-10166

CWE-ID: CWE-284

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
libvirt
Universal components / Libraries / Libraries used by multiple products

Vendor: libvirt.org

Description

The vulnerability allows a local authenticated user to execute arbitrary code.

It was discovered that libvirtd, versions 4.x.x before 4.10.1 and 5.x.x before 5.4.1, would permit readonly clients to use the virDomainManagedSaveDefineXML() API, which would permit them to modify managed save state files. If a managed save had already been created by a privileged user, a local attacker could modify this file such that libvirtd would execute an arbitrary program when the domain was resumed.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

libvirt: 4.10.0 - 5.4.0

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External links
https://access.redhat.com/libvirt-privesc-vulnerabilities
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2019-10166
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-18

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.