CVE-2018-6963 : Security Advisory and Response

A denial-of-service vulnerability affecting VMware Workstation and Fusion versions prior to specific releases.

Understanding CVE-2018-6963

What is CVE-2018-6963?

CVE-2018-6963 is a vulnerability found in VMware Workstation and Fusion, leading to denial-of-service attacks due to NULL pointer dereference issues in the RPC handler.

The Impact of CVE-2018-6963

The vulnerability allows an attacker with limited privileges on the guest machine to execute a denial-of-service attack on their own guest machine.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-6963

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises from NULL pointer dereference issues in the RPC handler of VMware Workstation and Fusion.

Affected Systems and Versions

VMware Workstation 14.x before 14.1.2
VMware Fusion 10.x before 10.1.2

Exploitation Mechanism

Successful exploitation enables an attacker with limited privileges on the guest machine to trigger a denial-of-service attack.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Update VMware Workstation and Fusion to versions 14.1.2 and 10.1.2, respectively.
Monitor for any unusual activity on the guest machine.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update software and apply security patches.
Implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential attacks.

Patching and Updates

Ensure timely installation of security updates provided by VMware to address the vulnerability.