Iran-linked APT Rocket Kitten exploited VMware bug in recent attacks
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2022-22954 | Server-Side Template Injection RCE in VMware Workspace ONE Access and Identity Manager CVE-2022-22954 is a server-side template injection vulnerability (CWE-94) in VMware Workspace ONE Access and VMware Identity Manager that allows remote code execution on affected appliances. It is triggered when attacker-controlled input is passed into a server-side template engine, allowing injected template directives to be evaluated and executed as code on the server. A successful attacker gains the ability to run arbitrary code on the identity appliance, and CISA notes the flaw has been used in ransomware campaigns, so compromise can serve as an initial foothold for broader enterprise intrusion. Any organization running Workspace ONE Access or Identity Manager, including deployments where the Identity Manager component is bundled into VMware Horizon environments, is potentially affected, though the source data does not specify affected version ranges. The vulnerability was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-04-14 with ransomware use confirmed and a required action to apply vendor updates, and EPSS currently assigns it a 100% probability of exploitation within 30 days (100th percentile); no public PoC is known. Do: Apply the patches published in VMware advisory VMSA-2022-0011 (April 2022) to Workspace ONE Access and Identity Manager appliances as required by the CISA KEV listing, prioritizing internet-facing instances, and restrict or remove public exposure until patched. Review appliance and web-server logs for template-injection probes and unexpected processes spawned by the identity service, and investigate any indications of compromise for follow-on ransomware or lateral-movement activity. | 9.8 | 100% | KEV ransomware PoC |
| large≈ tens of thousands of internet-exposed Workspace ONE Access / Identity Manager instances (order-of-magnitude estimate; exact count unknown) |
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The Iran-linked APT group Rocket Kitten has been observed exploiting a recently patched CVE-2022-22954 VMware flaw.
Iran-linked Rocket Kitten APT group has been observed exploiting a recently patched CVE-2022-22954 VMware Workspace ONE Access flaw to deploy ‘Core Impact’ Backdoor.
The CVE-2022-22954 vulnerability is a server-side template injection remote code execution issue, it was rated 9.8 in severity.
“VMware Workspace ONE Access and Identity Manager contain a remote code execution vulnerability due to server-side template injection. VMware has evaluated the severity of this issue to be in the Critical severity range with a maximum CVSSv3 base score of 9.8.” reads the security advisory. “A malicious actor with network access can trigger a server-side template injection that may result in remote code execution.”
In Mid-April, the virtualization giant reported that threat actors are actively exploiting the critical vulnerability in VMware Workspace ONE Access and Identity Manager.
On April 14 and 15, Morphisec researchers spotted attacks attempting to exploit the VMware flaw, researchers from BleepingComputer also reported the hacking attempts.
“A malicious actor exploiting this RCE vulnerability potentially gains an unlimited attack surface. This means highest privileged access into any components of the virtualized host and guest environment. Affected firms face significant security breaches, ransom, brand damage, and lawsuits.” reads the post published Morphisec Labs. “As part of the attack chain, Morphisec has identified and prevented PowerShell commands executed as child processes to the legitimate Tomcat prunsrv.exe process application.”
Threat actors attempt to gain initial access to a target environment by exploiting the VMWare Identity Manager Service issue, then they deploy a PowerShell stager that downloads the next stage payload dubbed by PowerTrash Loader.
The PowerTrash Loader is a heavily obfuscated PowerShell script with approximately 40,000 lines of code.
In the final stage of the attack chain, PowerTrash Loader injects the penetration testing framework Core Impact into memory.
Morphisec attributes the attacks to the Iranian APT Rocket Kitten based on the tactics, techniques, and procedures used by the threat actors.
“The widespread use of VMWare identity access management combined with the unfettered remote access this attack provides is a recipe for devastating breaches across industries,” concludes the report. “VMWare customers should also review their VMware architecture to ensure the affected components are not accidentally published on the internet, which dramatically increases the exploitation risks.”
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