CPU-emulation bug (missing CPL check) allows crashing of VirtualBox guest from unprivileged ring-3 code

[halfdog <me () halfdog net>]

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Hello list-members,

According to Oracle, a minor bug allows an unprivileged user to crash
the guest system under certain conditions by invoking a task-gate from
ring-3 code. The crash occurs due to a CPU-emulation bug when calling
the task-gate via IDT (software interrupt) with insufficient
privileges (CPL>DPL) and processor is missing VT-x / AMD-V extensions.
On real processors or within guest on virtualization-enhanced
hardware, that would result in a general protection fault (GPF). In
VirtualBox CPL is not checked and incomplete task-switch to
double-fault-handler is performed.

Invocation on Linux results in DOS, privilege escalation might be
possible on systems where suitable ring-0 task-gates exists, although
Oracle says, that due to other measures in VirtualBox code, it is not
possible to execute arbitrary ring-0 code.

The issue was fixed in VirtualBox 4.1.22 and 4.2.0-RC3. See also [1].

hd

[1]
http://www.halfdog.net/Security/2012/VirtualBoxSoftwareInterrupt0x8GuestCrash/

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http://www.halfdog.net/
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