CVE-2023-20900: [Security Advisory] open-vm-tools: SAML token signature bypass vulnerability (CVE-2023-20900)

Published Aug 31, 2023
·
Updated

A malicious actor that has been granted Guest Operation Privileges https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/8.0/vsphere-security/GUID-6A952214-0E5E-4CCF-9D2A-90948FF643EC.html  in a target virtual machine may be able to elevate their privileges if that target virtual machine has been assigned a more privileged Guest Alias https://vdc-download.vmware.com/vmwb-repository/dcr-public/d1902b0e-d479-46bf-8ac9-cee0e31e8ec0/07ce8dbd-db48-4261-9b8f-c6d3ad8ba472/vim.vm.guest.AliasManager.html .

Other sources

VMware Tools contains a SAML token signature bypass vulnerability. A malicious actor with man-in-the-middle (MITM) network positioning between vCenter server and the virtual machine may be able to bypass SAML token signature verification, to perform VMware Tools Guest Operations.

References:

https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2023-0019.html https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/08/31/1 https://github.com/vmware/open-vm-tools/blob/CVE-2023-20900.patch/CVE-2023-20900.patch

Red Hat

VMware Tools could allow a remote attacker to bypass security restrictions, caused by improper SAML token signature verification. By utilize man-in-the-middle attack techniques, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to perform VMware Tools Guest Operations

IBM

Affected Software

29 affected componentsFixes available
debian/open-vm-tools<=2:12.2.5-1, <=2:12.2.0-1, <=2:11.2.5-2
2:12.3.0-12:12.2.0-1+deb12u12:11.2.5-2+deb11u2
ubuntu/open-vm-tools<2:11.0.5-4ubuntu0.18.04.3+
2:11.0.5-4ubuntu0.18.04.3+
ubuntu/open-vm-tools<12.3.0
12.3.0
ubuntu/open-vm-tools<2:11.3.0-2ubuntu0~ubuntu20.04.6
2:11.3.0-2ubuntu0~ubuntu20.04.6
ubuntu/open-vm-tools<2:12.1.5-3~ubuntu0.22.04.3
2:12.1.5-3~ubuntu0.22.04.3
ubuntu/open-vm-tools<2:12.1.5-3ubuntu0.23.04.2
2:12.1.5-3ubuntu0.23.04.2
ubuntu/open-vm-tools<2:10.2.0-3~ubuntu0.16.04.1+
2:10.2.0-3~ubuntu0.16.04.1+
ubuntu/open-vm-tools<2:12.2.5-1ubuntu1
2:12.2.5-1ubuntu1
debian/open-vm-tools<=2:10.3.10-1+deb10u2
2:10.3.10-1+deb10u62:11.2.5-2+deb11u32:12.2.0-1+deb12u22:12.3.5-4
IBM Security Verify Governance, Identity Manager software component<=ISVG 10.0.2
IBM Security Verify Governance, Identity Manager virtual appliance component<=ISVG 10.0.2
All of the following
VMware Tools>=10.3.0<12.3.0
Microsoft Windows
All of the following
VMware Tools>=10.3.0<10.3.26
Linux Linux kernel
All of the following
VMware Open Vm Tools>=10.3.0<12.3.0
Linux Linux kernel
Fedoraproject Fedora=37
Fedoraproject Fedora=38
Fedoraproject Fedora=39
Debian Debian Linux=10.0
Debian Debian Linux=11.0
Debian Debian Linux=12.0
NetApp ONTAP Select Deploy administration utility
VMware Tools>=10.3.0<12.3.0
Microsoft Windows
VMware Tools>=10.3.0<10.3.26
Linux Linux kernel
VMware Open Vm Tools>=10.3.0<12.3.0

Event History

Aug 31, 2023
CVE Published
via Ubuntu·12:00 AM
CVE Published
via MITRE·09:45 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·09:45 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·04:59 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Jan 12, 2024
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·12:15 AM
Description
Oct 7, 2024
Data Sourced
via IBM·12:00 AM
DescriptionAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the vulnerability ID of this security advisory?

The vulnerability ID of this security advisory is CVE-2023-20900.

2

What is the severity of CVE-2023-20900?

CVE-2023-20900 has a severity value of 7.5, which is classified as high.

3

What is the affected software for CVE-2023-20900?

The affected software for CVE-2023-20900 includes open-vm-tools with various versions.

4

How can I fix the vulnerability CVE-2023-20900?

To fix CVE-2023-20900, make sure to update open-vm-tools to the recommended versions provided by the software vendor.

5

Where can I find more information about CVE-2023-20900?

More information about CVE-2023-20900 can be found at the following references: [link1], [link2], [link3].

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