CVE-2024-38812: VMware Cloud Foundation RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2024-38812 Overview

The vCenter Server contains a heap-overflow vulnerability in the implementation of the DCERPC protocol. A malicious actor with network access to vCenter Server may trigger this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted network packet potentially leading to remote code execution.

Critical Impact

This vulnerability can lead to remote code execution, compromising system integrity and confidentiality.

Affected Products

• VMware Cloud Foundation
• VMware vCenter Server 7.0
• VMware vCenter Server 8.0

Discovery Timeline

• Not Available - Vulnerability discovered by Not Available
• Not Available - Responsible disclosure to VMware
• Not Available - CVE CVE-2024-38812 assigned
• Not Available - VMware releases security patch
• 2024-09-17 - CVE CVE-2024-38812 published to NVD
• 2025-10-31 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-38812

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a heap-overflow in the DCERPC protocol implementation, which can be exploited by sending specially crafted packets to vCenter Server. This attack can lead to remote code execution due to improper bounds checking on the incoming data stream.

Root Cause

The root cause of this vulnerability is insufficient bounds checking when processing network packets in the implementation of the DCERPC protocol within vCenter Server.

Attack Vector

This vulnerability can be exploited remotely by an unauthenticated attacker with network access, leveraging crafted packets to exploit the heap-overflow.

// Example exploitation code (sanitized)
#include <netinet/in.h>
#include <string.h>

int main() {
    int sockfd = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
    struct sockaddr_in server_addr;

    server_addr.sin_family = AF_INET;
    server_addr.sin_port = htons(443);
    inet_pton(AF_INET, "192.168.0.100", &server_addr.sin_addr);

    connect(sockfd, (struct sockaddr *)&server_addr, sizeof(server_addr));

    char buffer[1024];
    memset(buffer, 'A', sizeof(buffer));

    send(sockfd, buffer, sizeof(buffer), 0);

    close(sockfd);
    return 0;
}

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-38812

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual outgoing network traffic
• Process crashes related to vCenter Server
• Unexpected memory consumption

Detection Strategies

Network traffic analysis tools can identify abnormal packet flows indicative of exploitation attempts. Anomalous memory usage patterns can signal ongoing exploitation activity.

Monitoring Recommendations

Implement continuous monitoring for abnormal network traffic patterns and establish alerting mechanisms for specific criteria related to memory usage and process stability.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-38812

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict network access to vCenter Server to trusted IP addresses
• Implement strict inbound firewall rules
• Monitor for signs of compromise and unusual network activity

Patch Information

Refer to VMware's official advisory for detailed patching information and upgrade paths.

Workarounds

Apply network segmentation and enforce access control policies to limit exposure.

# Configuration example
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -s 192.168.0.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP