CVE-2020-25637 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

A double free memory issue in the libvirt API could lead to a denial of service or privilege escalation.

Understanding CVE-2020-25637

What is CVE-2020-25637?

A double free memory issue was discovered in the libvirt API, affecting versions before 6.8.0. This vulnerability allows clients with limited ACL permissions to crash the libvirt daemon, potentially leading to a denial of service or privilege escalation.

The Impact of CVE-2020-25637

The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality, integrity, and system availability.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-25637

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability occurs in the libvirt API, responsible for requesting information about network interfaces of a running QEMU domain, affecting the polkit access control driver.

Affected Systems and Versions

Vendor: n/a
Product: libvirt
Affected Versions: libvirt versions before 6.8.0

Exploitation Mechanism

Clients connecting to the read-write socket with limited ACL permissions can exploit this flaw to crash the libvirt daemon, leading to a denial of service or potential privilege escalation.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Update libvirt to version 6.8.0 or later to mitigate the vulnerability.
Restrict network access to the libvirt API to trusted clients only.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor and apply security patches to all software components.
Implement strong access control measures to limit potential attack surfaces.

Patching and Updates

Ensure timely patching of libvirt to the latest version to address the double free memory issue.