VMware vCenter Server Side Request Forgery Scanner

VMware vCenter is a centralized management platform designed for managing virtual infrastructure environments, primarily used by enterprises and IT departments to manage virtual machines, hosts, and data stores. The platform is crucial in maintaining an efficient virtual environment, providing a single interface for configuration, provisioning, and management of virtualized resources. With its advanced features, vCenter simplifies complex environments, allowing automation and increased operational efficiency. IT professionals rely on vCenter for cluster management, seamless resource allocation, and integrated backup options. Due to its comprehensive abilities, any vulnerability in such a system could have widespread impacts on the virtual infrastructure it oversees. Ensuring security in this platform is critical for maintaining uptime and protecting sensitive data handled within virtual environments.

Server-Side-Request-Forgery (SSRF) is a vulnerability that can allow an attacker to make requests to untrusted locations from the server, potentially leading to unauthorized actions or data exposure. This can be particularly dangerous in a product like VMware vCenter, as it may have access to restricted network segments. SSRF vulnerabilities occur when the application fetches a remote resource without validating the user-supplied URL. It can be exploited to probe network boundaries, exfiltrate data, or execute further attacks from a trusted server position. Attackers may leverage SSRF to target internal services, bypass security controls, or gain escalated privileges within the network. Thus, addressing SSRF vulnerabilities is paramount to securing the network infrastructure from indirect, unauthorized access.

The SSRF vulnerability in VMware vCenter can be found in its ability to handle certain URL requests without proper validation. Specifically, this issue arises within the vcav-bootstrap REST API, where it can be manipulated to send requests to unintended servers or endpoints. Attackers can craft their payloads, exploiting the vcav-providers/provider-logo endpoint, which processes user-provided URLs. The vulnerability allows injected URLs to lead inbound requests from the server, introspecting internal networks or accessing sensitive files. Through careful exploitation, malicious entities could interfere with or manipulate server-side operations, leading to exposure or leakage of critical information. Proper filters and mechanisms should have been in place to ensure only approved URLs and domains are accessed by this feature.

The potential effects of exploiting this SSRF vulnerability in VMware vCenter could be severe, allowing attackers to conduct unauthorized operations. Exploitation may enable threat actors to reach internal services, tamper with infrastructure, or siphon off sensitive data stored behind secure network walls. It poses a significant threat when used to escalate privilege or pivot within the network, accessing more systems than normally possible. Attackers could also exploit this vulnerability to manipulate what would typically be controlled access points within the server, initiating attacks from a presumably trusted source. This can undermine the security of entire virtualized environments, demanding urgent mitigation efforts to restore a secure network posture.

REFERENCES

• https://github.com/l0ggg/VMware_vCenter