CVE-2019-10183 : Security Advisory and Response

This CVE involves a security issue in the virt-install utility of Red Hat's virt-manager, potentially exposing guest VM passwords.

Understanding CVE-2019-10183

This vulnerability affects the 'virt-install' utility in Red Hat's virt-manager, allowing the creation of VMs without user input but exposing guest VM passwords.

What is CVE-2019-10183?

The 'virt-install' utility in virt-manager introduced a '--unattended' option in version 2.2.0, enabling VM creation without user input. However, this option accepts the guest VM password as a command line argument, potentially exposing it to other system users.

The Impact of CVE-2019-10183

The vulnerability has a CVSS base score of 3.2 (Low severity) and affects systems with the specified vulnerable versions of 'virt-manager'. It poses a risk of exposing sensitive information, such as guest VM passwords, to unauthorized users.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-10183

Vulnerability Description

The '--unattended' option in 'virt-install' allows VM creation without user input but exposes guest VM passwords as command line arguments, visible in the process listing.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: virt-install
Vendor: Red Hat
Versions Affected: from virt-manager v2.2.0

Exploitation Mechanism

Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Scope: Changed
Confidentiality Impact: Low
Integrity Impact: None
Availability Impact: None

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Avoid using the '--unattended' option if possible.
Ensure sensitive information like passwords is not passed as command line arguments.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update virt-manager to the latest version.
Implement secure password handling practices to prevent exposure.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches provided by Red Hat to address this vulnerability.