vCenter Server Heap Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2024-38812

9.8CRITICAL

Key Information

Vendor: VMware
Status: Vmware Vcenter Server; Vmware Cloud Foundation
Vendor: CVE Published:; 17 September 2024

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What is CVE-2024-38812?

CVE-2024-38812 is a critical vulnerability identified in VMware's vCenter Server, a management platform for VMware vSphere, which is widely used for managing virtualized environments. This vulnerability arises from a heap overflow in the implementation of the DCERPC protocol. If exploited, this flaw can allow an attacker with network access to vCenter Server to execute arbitrary code remotely. The potential negative impact on organizations includes unauthorized access to critical virtual infrastructure, data breaches, and significant operational disruptions.

Technical Details

The vulnerability manifests as a heap overflow, a type of buffer overflow that occurs within a heap data structure. It is specifically associated with the handling of network packets by the DCERPC protocol implemented in vCenter Server. When an attacker sends a carefully crafted packet to the server, they can potentially corrupt the memory of the application, leading to remote code execution. This requires only network access to the affected server, making it particularly insidious since it doesn’t necessitate local access.

Impact of the Vulnerability

Remote Code Execution: An attacker can exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on the vCenter Server, potentially gaining full control over the host and the virtual machines it manages.
Data Breaches: Given the central role of vCenter Server in managing virtual infrastructures, successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data stored within virtual machines, compromising confidential information.
Operational Disruption: Organizations may experience significant operational downtime as a result of the compromise, which can halt business-critical applications and impact overall productivity while they respond to the incident.

CISA Reported

CISA provides regional cyber and physical services to support security and resilience across the United States. CISA monitor the most dangerious vulnerabilities and have identifed CVE-2024-38812 as being exploited but is not known by the CISA to be used in ransomware campaigns. This is subject to change at pace

The CISA's recommendation is: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Affected Version(s)

VMware vCenter Server < 8.0 U3b

VMware vCenter Server < 7.0 U3s

VMware Cloud Foundation = 5.x

News Articles

CybersecurityNews

CVE-2024-38812 CVE-2024-38813

CISA Warns of VMware VCenter Vulnerabilities Actively Exploited in Attacks

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued a critical warning regarding two newly discovered vulnerabilities in VMware's vCenter Server.

1 month ago