Privilege escalation in several VMware products
| Risk | Low |
| Patch available | YES |
| Number of vulnerabilities | 1 |
| CVE-ID | CVE-2021-21999 |
| CWE-ID | CWE-428 |
| Exploitation vector | Local |
| Public exploit | N/A |
| Vulnerable software Subscribe |
VMware Tools Client/Desktop applications / Other client software VMRC Client/Desktop applications / Software for system administration VMware App Volumes Client/Desktop applications / Software for system administration |
| Vendor | VMware, Inc |
Security Bulletin
This security bulletin contains one low risk vulnerability.
1) Unquoted Search Path or Element
EUVDB-ID: #VU54314
Risk: Low
CVSSv3.1: 6.2 [CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]
CVE-ID: CVE-2021-21999
CWE-ID:
CWE-428 - Unquoted Search Path or Element
Exploit availability: No
DescriptionThe vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.
The vulnerability exists due to uncontrolled search path within the VGAuthService service when validating a user-supplied OpenSSL configuration file prior to using it. A local user can supply a specially crafted file to execute arbitrary code in the context of SYSTEM.
MitigationInstall updates from vendor's website.
Vulnerable software versionsVMware Tools: 10.0.0 - 11.2.5
VMRC: 12.0.0
VMware App Volumes: 2.0 - 4.0.0.105
External linkshttp://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2021-0013.html
http://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-754/
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.
