CVE-2020-14301 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

An information disclosure vulnerability was found in libvirt in versions before 6.3.0. HTTP cookies used to access network-based disks were saved in the XML dump of the guest domain, allowing potential access to sensitive information.

Understanding CVE-2020-14301

This CVE identifies an information disclosure vulnerability in libvirt versions prior to 6.3.0.

What is CVE-2020-14301?

CVE-2020-14301 is an information disclosure vulnerability in libvirt that could be exploited by an attacker to access sensitive information in the domain configuration using the

dumpxml

command.

The Impact of CVE-2020-14301

The vulnerability allows unauthorized access to potentially sensitive data stored in the XML dump of the guest domain, posing a risk of information exposure.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-14301

This section provides technical details about the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The flaw in libvirt versions before 6.3.0 allows HTTP cookies used for network-based disk access to be stored in the XML dump of the guest domain, enabling attackers to retrieve sensitive information.

Affected Systems and Versions

Affected Product: libvirt
Affected Version: 6.3.0

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by utilizing the

dumpxml

command to access and extract sensitive information from the domain configuration.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2020-14301 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update libvirt to version 6.3.0 or newer to mitigate the vulnerability.
Monitor and restrict access to the

dumpxml

command.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update software and apply security patches.
Implement network segmentation to limit access to critical systems.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches provided by libvirt to address the information disclosure vulnerability.