VULNERABILITY IN VMWARE CARBON BLACK APP CONTROL COULD ALLOW AUTHENTICATION BYPASS

TLP: WHITE
MS-ISAC CYBERSECURITY ADVISORY

MS-ISAC ADVISORY NUMBER: 2021-082

DATE(S) ISSUED: 06/24/2021

SUBJECT: A Vulnerability in VMware Carbon Black App Control Could Allow for Authentication Bypass

OVERVIEW:

A vulnerability has been discovered in VMware Carbon Black App Control, which could result in an authentication bypass. VMware Carbon Black App Control is a application control product, used to lock down servers and critical systems, prevent unwanted changes and ensure continuous compliance with regulatory mandates. An attacker with access to the AppC management server could bypass authentication and gain unauthorized access which could then allow the attacker to perform actions as an administrator.  

THREAT INTELLIGENCE: There are currently no reports of this vulnerability being exploited in the wild.

SYSTEMS AFFECTED:

• VMware Carbon Black App Control Versions prior to 8.6.2 and 8.5.8
• VMware Carbon Black App Control Versions 8.0 and 8.1

RISK:

Government:

• Large and medium government entities: High
• Small government: Medium

Businesses:

• Large and medium business entities: High
• Small business entities: Medium

Home users: Low

TECHNICAL SUMMARY:

A vulnerability has been discovered in VMware Carbon Black App Control, which could result in an authentication bypass. This could allow an attacker with network access to bypass authentication and gain administrative privileges (CVE-2021- 21998). Resources that an attacker could have access to are servers and critical systems. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow for an attacker to gain unauthorized access to the affected application and perform actions as an administrator.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

It is recommend the following actions be taken:

• Apply appropriate updates provided by VMware to vulnerable systems immediately after appropriate testing.
• Run all software as a non-privileged user (one without administrative privileges) to diminish the effects of a successful attack.
• Remind users not to visit un-trusted websites or follow links provided by unknown or un-trusted sources.
• Inform and educate users regarding the threats posed by hypertext links contained in emails or attachments especially from un-trusted sources.
• Apply the Principle of Least Privilege to all systems and services.

REFERENCES:

VMware:
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BleepingComputer:
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CVE:
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