CVE-2020-2025 : What You Need to Know
Learn about CVE-2020-2025 affecting Kata Containers on Cloud Hypervisor. Discover the impact, technical details, and mitigation steps for this high-severity vulnerability.
Kata Containers before version 1.11.0 on Cloud Hypervisor allows a malicious guest to overwrite the image file, potentially compromising subsequent guest VMs.
Understanding CVE-2020-2025
This CVE involves a vulnerability in Kata Containers that affects Cloud Hypervisor guests.
What is CVE-2020-2025?
Kata Containers prior to version 1.11.0 on Cloud Hypervisor allows a malicious guest to persist filesystem changes to the underlying image file on the host. This could lead to a security breach where the guest can gain control over all subsequent guest VMs. The issue may also impact QEMU and Firecracker based guests due to the shared VM image file.
The Impact of CVE-2020-2025
- CVSS Score: 8.8 (High)
- Attack Vector: Local
- Attack Complexity: Low
- Privileges Required: Low
- Confidentiality Impact: High
- Integrity Impact: High
- Availability Impact: High
- Scope: Changed
- User Interaction: None
Technical Details of CVE-2020-2025
This section provides more in-depth technical details of the vulnerability.
Vulnerability Description
The vulnerability allows a malicious guest to overwrite the image file on the host, potentially compromising all subsequent guest VMs.
Affected Systems and Versions
- Product: Kata Containers
- Vendor: Kata Containers
- Versions Affected: < 1.11.0 (unspecified/custom version)
Exploitation Mechanism
The issue arises from the persistence of guest filesystem changes to the underlying image file on the host, enabling unauthorized control over subsequent guest VMs.
Mitigation and Prevention
Protecting systems from CVE-2020-2025 requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.
Immediate Steps to Take
- Upgrade Kata Containers to version 1.11.0 or newer to mitigate the vulnerability.
- Monitor and restrict guest access to host image files to prevent unauthorized modifications.
Long-Term Security Practices
- Implement strict access controls and permissions to limit guest VM capabilities.
- Regularly audit and review filesystem changes to detect any unauthorized alterations.
Patching and Updates
- Stay informed about security updates and patches released by Kata Containers to address vulnerabilities like CVE-2020-2025.