#VU15230 Infinite loop in VMware, Inc products - CVE-2018-6977 

 

#VU15230 Infinite loop in VMware, Inc products - CVE-2018-6977

Published: October 9, 2018


Vulnerability identifier: #VU15230
Vulnerability risk: Low
CVSSv4.0: CVSS:4.0/AV:A/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear
CVE-ID: CVE-2018-6977
CWE-ID: CWE-835
Exploitation vector: Adjecent network
Exploit availability: No public exploit available
Vulnerable software:
VMware Workstation
VMware Fusion
VMware ESXi
Software vendor:
VMware, Inc

Description

The vulnerability allows an adjacent attacker to cause DoS condition on the target system.

The weakness exists due to an infinite loop in a 3D-rendering shader when 3D-acceleration feature is enabled. A remote attacker with normal user privileges in the guest can make the VM unresponsive, and in some cases, possibly result other VMs on the host or the host itself becoming unresponsive.

Remediation

The workaround for this issue requires disabling the 3D-acceleration feature. The issue can only be exploited if 3D-acceleration feature is enabled. It is not enabled by default on ESXi and is enabled by default on Workstation and Fusion. The 3D-acceleration settings can be reviewed as follows.

  ESXi

 With Host Client or vCenter, go to the individual VM > configure >  hardware > video card >

 3D Graphics --> Check if "3D Graphics" is enabled.
    OR  

 Go to individual VMX file and then check for "mks.enable3d", if the VMs have the option  

 "mks.enable3d=TRUE", then 3D-acceleration  feature is enabled
  

Workstation
   - Select virtual machine and select VM > Settings.
   - On the Hardware tab, select Display
    If the "Accelerate 3D graphics" is checked then 3D-acceleration feature is enabled.
   
 Fusion
   -From the VMware Fusion menu bar, select Window > Virtual Machine Library.
   -Select a virtual machine and click Settings.
   -In the Settings Window > select Display.
    If the "Accelerate 3D graphics" is checked then 3D-acceleration feature is enabled.


External links