Posted on 01/14/2016 7:32:59 PM PST by Utilizer
VMware sysadmins, get patching: the virtualisation outfit has released updates to its ESXi, Fusion, Player and Workstation software to block out a privilege-escalation vulnerability.
The patch applies to VMware Windows Workstation versions before 11.1.2, Player and Fusion versions prior to 7.1.2, and various ESXi versions depending on their patch level: VMware ESXi 6.0 without patch ESXi600-201512102-SG VMware ESXi 5.5 without patch ESXi550-201512102-SG VMware ESXi 5.1 without patch ESXi510-201510102-SG VMware ESXi 5.0 without patch ESXi500-201510102-SG
CVE-2015-6933 is a kernel memory corruption vulnerability in the tools' Shared Folders feature that can be exploited by software to escalate its privileges within a guest. VMware notes that the programming blunder cannot be exploited to escape from a guest to a host.
It was picked up by Secunia's Dmitry Janushkevich, and the CVE (common vulnerabilities and exposures) database entry was reserved in September 2015.
If you can't run the patches right away, disabling the Shared Folders feature (HGFS) removes the exploitation possibility.
(Excerpt) Read more at theregister.co.uk ...
I don’t know a single admin who enables the feature anyway. By concept alone, it’s a bad idea and always was... bug or not.
Ping for Windows users using VMWare. . . there’s a vulnerability that needs attention.
Thanks for the ping, I’ll have to get it in the morning, can’t post to the list right now....
Thanks, mate. I was intending to ping dgr but got sidetracked so appreciate you pinging first.
Cheers!
But hypervisors can’t get infected. /sarcasm
Don’t allow guests...
Yep. Too many better alternatives. Some of the newer SysAdmins want to snatch everything that's shiny. This is why not.
Not all sysadmins are Great SysAdmins.
Shiiete happens, and you might be surprised at just how many compromised systems there are out there at any given moment.
Plus, VMware is getting more and more popular as time goes by, so some mistakes are bound to cause problems. Here is good info on one such ‘problem’.
Pass the word, won’t you now. :)
...you don’t use VMware tools on your Windows systems?! That’s literally the driver package for the VMware hardware abstraction layer.
Nevermind. You were talking about the Shared Folders functionality. Sorry for the impulsive response.
Thanks to Swordmaker and Utilizer for the ping!!
I’ve been trying to get my vmware tools updated on my work laptop since I reloaded the damned thing. The host is a laptop running craptastic Win 7. The first problem is that I can’t even get the file menu to display in the vmware application. I’ve searched the internet and have found craploads of articles on how to enable it in IE, and windowz explorer, but how do I get the file menu to display in other application?
I have no problem installing the tools from my Linux workstation. I just updated my Linux “Workstation” copy to 11.1.3. Guess I’ll test to see if installing the latest copy of tools there will be recognised on the windows host.
I have not had a chance to play with VMware under the ‘doze platform yet so I am afraid I cannot help you there.
I do plan to work with it in Linux after I finish reinstalling a couple of machines but it will be a Virtual ‘Doze running in Linux so just the opposite of what you are running.
Perhaps someone else can be of assistance.
Cheers!
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