CVE-2020-15687 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

A vulnerability in the Hypervisor component of the ACRN Project allows for a Denial of Service attack on assigned PCIe devices.

Understanding CVE-2020-15687

What is CVE-2020-15687?

The vulnerability in the ACRN Project's Hypervisor component permits a malicious entity to abuse PCIe assign/de-assign Hypercalls, leading to a corrupt state and Denial of Service for assigned PCIe devices.

The Impact of CVE-2020-15687

The exploitation of this vulnerability can result in a Denial of Service (DoS) attack on previously assigned PCIe devices in the Service VM at runtime.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-15687

Vulnerability Description

The flaw in the Hypervisor component of the ACRN Project (versions 2.0 and 1.6.1) lacks access control restrictions, enabling a malicious entity with root access in the Service VM userspace to exploit PCIe assign/de-assign Hypercalls using crafted ioctls and payloads.

Affected Systems and Versions

ACRN Project versions 2.0 and 1.6.1

Exploitation Mechanism

Malicious entity with root access in the Service VM userspace can abuse PCIe assign/de-assign Hypercalls via crafted ioctls and payloads, causing a corrupt state and DoS for assigned PCIe devices.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply the vendor-provided patches or updates for the ACRN Project.
Monitor and restrict access to the Hypervisor component to authorized entities only.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch all software components to address known vulnerabilities.
Implement strong access control measures to prevent unauthorized access to critical system components.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that the ACRN Project is updated to a secure version that addresses the access control restrictions in the Hypervisor component.