DSA-5215: -1 open-vm-tools -- security update
A vulnerability was discovered in open-vm-tools, an open source implementation of VMware Tools, allowing an unprivileged local guest user to escalate their privileges as root user in the virtual machine.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
open-vm-toolsto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Patch DSA-5215-1
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Which systems are exposed to this issue?
The issue affects Debian systems using open-vm-tools in a virtual machine guest. It is relevant where an unprivileged local user can log in to or otherwise execute code within the guest.
What access does an attacker need to exploit it?
An attacker needs unprivileged local access inside the affected virtual machine guest. The described impact is privilege escalation to root within that guest.
Does the issue allow compromise of the VMware host?
The available information only describes escalation to root in the virtual machine. It does not state that the vulnerability permits escape from the guest or compromise of the host.