CVE-2016-3643
SolarWinds Virtualization Manager Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
Description
CVE-2016-3643 is a high-severity privilege escalation vulnerability in SolarWinds Virtualization Manager 6.3.1 and earlier. The vulnerability arises from a misconfiguration of sudo that allows local users to escalate their privileges to root by leveraging improperly restricted sudo commands. An authenticated local attacker can exploit this misconfiguration to read sensitive system files, execute arbitrary commands as root, and gain complete control over the SolarWinds Virtualization Manager appliance. CISA has confirmed active exploitation of this vulnerability by including it in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The EPSS score of 5.42% (90.0th percentile) indicates a notable probability of exploitation.
KEV Information
CVSS Score
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HOpen in CalculatorAffected Products
| Vendor | Product | Version |
|---|---|---|
| solarwinds | virtualization manager | <= 6.3.1 |
Multiple CVSS Assessments
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
References
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/137487/Solarwinds-Virtualization-Manager-6.3.1-Privilege-Escalation.html(Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2016/Jun/26(Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39967/(Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2016-3643(US Government Resource)
Weakness Type
CWE-264: Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls
CWE-264 encompasses weaknesses related to the management of permissions, privileges, and other security features used to perform access control. In CVE-2016-3643, the SolarWinds Virtualization Manager appliance is configured with overly permissive sudo rules that allow local users to execute commands as root without adequate restrictions, enabling unauthorized privilege escalation.
Learn more: CWE-264 — Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls
Impact Analysis
CVE-2016-3643 carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 (HIGH), representing a significant local privilege escalation risk. The vulnerability requires local access and low-level authentication but has low attack complexity and requires no user interaction, meaning any authenticated user on the system can easily exploit it. Confidentiality (High): An attacker with local access can read any file on the system, including sensitive configuration files, database credentials, and monitoring data managed by the Virtualization Manager. Integrity (High): Root-level access allows modification of system configurations, installation of backdoors, and tampering with virtualization management data. Availability (High): Full system control enables attackers to disrupt or destroy the Virtualization Manager service and its managed virtual infrastructure. While the EPSS score of 5.42% is moderate compared to network-exploitable vulnerabilities, the availability of public exploit code and confirmed active exploitation make this a priority for remediation in environments running SolarWinds Virtualization Manager.
Exploit Maturity
Public exploit code is available for CVE-2016-3643 via Packet Storm Security and Exploit-DB, providing detailed steps to reproduce the privilege escalation. The exploit demonstrates the trivial nature of the sudo misconfiguration, showing that standard commands like "sudo cat /etc/passwd" can be used to access sensitive files. CISA has confirmed active exploitation by listing CVE-2016-3643 in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The EPSS score of 5.42% (90.0th percentile) indicates a notable exploitation probability, and full disclosure details are available on the Full Disclosure mailing list.
Remediation
- Apply updates per vendor instructions as required by CISA KEV. Upgrade SolarWinds Virtualization Manager beyond version 6.3.1 to a version that corrects the sudo misconfiguration.
- Immediately audit and restrict sudo rules on all SolarWinds Virtualization Manager appliances. Remove overly permissive sudo entries that allow unrestricted command execution as root. Apply the principle of least privilege to all sudo configurations.
- Restrict local access to the SolarWinds Virtualization Manager appliance to only authorized administrators. Implement strong authentication mechanisms and disable unnecessary user accounts on the appliance.
- Review system logs for evidence of unauthorized sudo usage, particularly commands executed as root by non-administrative users. Check for indicators of compromise such as unauthorized file access, new user accounts, or modified system configurations.
- Implement ongoing monitoring of sudo activity using centralized logging and alerting. Configure sudoers with explicit command allowlists rather than broad permissions, and conduct regular security audits of all privilege escalation configurations.
Technical Details
CVE-2016-3643 is a privilege escalation vulnerability caused by a misconfiguration of sudo in SolarWinds Virtualization Manager version 6.3.1 and earlier. The appliance ships with sudo rules that grant local users the ability to execute commands as root without adequate restrictions, effectively allowing any authenticated local user to escalate privileges. The classic exploitation example is "sudo cat /etc/passwd" and similar commands that read sensitive system files, but the misconfiguration extends to arbitrary command execution as root. The CVSS vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) reflects that while local access and low-level authentication are required, the attack complexity is minimal and no user interaction is needed, resulting in complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability within the scope of the affected system. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-264 (Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls) as it stems from improper permission configuration rather than a software coding flaw.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2016-3643 being actively exploited?
Yes. CVE-2016-3643 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, confirming active exploitation. Multiple public exploits are available that demonstrate the trivial nature of the privilege escalation. The EPSS score of 5.42% (90.0th percentile) indicates a notable exploitation probability.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-3643?
CVE-2016-3643 affects SolarWinds Virtualization Manager version 6.3.1 and all earlier versions. The vulnerability is present in the appliance default configuration where sudo rules are overly permissive.
How do I fix CVE-2016-3643?
Upgrade SolarWinds Virtualization Manager beyond version 6.3.1 to a patched version. As an immediate measure, audit and restrict sudo rules on the appliance to enforce least-privilege access. Remove any sudo entries that allow unrestricted command execution as root.
How severe is CVE-2016-3643?
CVE-2016-3643 has a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 (HIGH). While it requires local access, the privilege escalation from any authenticated user to root is trivially exploitable. The 90.0th percentile EPSS ranking and public exploit availability confirm this is a serious vulnerability that requires prompt remediation.
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