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Full vulnerability report · 2019
CVE-2019-5532High confidence

VMware vCenter Server: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File

VMware · vCenter Server

7.7HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Within 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Mitigation available
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityHighOperational priority:High, unchanged from published severity.unchanged

Evidence used

  • No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
  • EPSS is 1.86% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Apply the linked authoritative mitigation while planning the permanent fix.
  • Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
  • Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs VMware vCenter Server and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Recheck the vendor advisory before scheduling a change because no verified fixed version is currently retained.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: Within 30 daysRemediation target: Within 180 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2019-15107

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionWithin 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Mitigation available
01

What, why and how

VMware vCenter Server (6.7.x prior to 6.7 U3, 6.5 prior to 6.5 U3 and 6.0 prior to 6.0 U3j) contains an information disclosure vulnerability due to the logging of credentials in plain-text for virtual machines deployed through OVF. A malicious user with access to the log files containing vCenter OVF-properties of a virtual machine deployed from an OVF may be able to view the credentials used to deploy the OVF (typically the root account of the virtual machine).

What

VMware vCenter Server (6.7.x prior to 6.7 U3, 6.5 prior to 6.5 U3 and 6.0 prior to 6.0 U3j) contains an information disclosure vulnerability due to the logging of credentials in plain-text for virtual machines deployed through OVF. A malicious user with access to the log files containing vCenter OVF-properties of a virtual machine deployed from an OVF may be able to view the credentials used to deploy the OVF (typically the root account of the virtual machine).

Why

The product writes sensitive information to a log file.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may obtain information outside the intended access boundary.

What

VMware vCenter Server (6.7.x prior to 6.7 U3, 6.5 prior to 6.5 U3 and 6.0 prior to 6.0 U3j) contains an information disclosure vulnerability due to the logging of credentials in plain-text for virtual machines deployed through OVF. A malicious user with access to the log files containing vCenter OVF-properties of a virtual machine deployed from an OVF may be able to view the credentials used to deploy the OVF (typically the root account of the virtual machine).

Why

The product writes sensitive information to a log file.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may obtain information outside the intended access boundary.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
a network path → Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File → obtain information outside the intended access boundary
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
Low: a basic authenticated account is required
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Changed: exploitation can affect a different security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-532 ↗

CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File. The product writes sensitive information to a log file.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRLowPrivileges required: The attacker needs basic user-level privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SChangedScope: The attack can affect a component governed by a different security authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.INoneIntegrity impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.ANoneAvailability impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
Stolen credentials, tokens and legitimate administration functions may provide continued access without deploying a large custom toolset.
NetworkCWE-532
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

Canadian Centre for Cyber Security · English · AV19-206VMware security bulletin

On 16 September 2019 VMware released security updates to address the following vulnerabilities affecting the VMware vSphere ESXi (ESXi) and VMware vCenter Server (vCenter) products: A remote actor could exploit some of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system.

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2019-AVI-446Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits VMware

De multiples vulnérabilités ont été découvertes dans les produits VMware. Elles permettent à un attaquant de provoquer une exécution de code arbitraire à distance et une atteinte à la confidentialité des données.

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2019-009511VMware vCenter Server におけるログファイルからの情報漏えいに関する脆弱性

VMware vCenter Server には、ログファイルからの情報漏えいに関する脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Mitigation available
Affected
vCenter Server: 6.7 prior to 6.7 U3, 6.5 prior to 6.5 U3, 6.0 prior to 6.0 U3j
Fixed
No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
Action
The Cyber Centre encourages users to review the VMware Security Advisories webpage and apply the necessary updates:
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 18 Sept 2019 · Last source change 4 Aug 2024, 20:01 UTC · CWE-532 · Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceNIST NVD
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-09-01
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2019-15107
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceNIST NVD
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. ENISA EUVD mappingEUVD-2019-15107 was added to the official ENISA EUVD mapping for this CVE.
    Before
    not recorded
    After
    {"euvdId":"EUVD-2019-15107"}
    ENISA EUVD ↗
  2. Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: added vendor advisory: vmware.com/VMSA-2019-0013.html.
    Before
    no authoritative guidance recorded
    After
    vendor advisory: vmware.com/VMSA-2019-0013.html
    vmware.com ↗
  3. SeveritySeverity changed from Unknown to High.
    Before
    Unknown
    After
    High
    NIST NVD ↗
  4. CVSS scoreCVSS score changed from not recorded to 7.7 (CVSS 3.1 · NIST NVD · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N).
    Before
    not recorded
    After
    7.7 (CVSS 3.1 · NIST NVD · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N)
    NIST NVD ↗
  5. Catalogue recordCVE added to the BlackTree catalogue.
    CNA ↗
  6. Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Awaiting fix to Mitigation available.
    Before
    Awaiting fix
    After
    Mitigation available
    Canadian Centre for Cyber Security ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Remediation guidance recorded
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2019-15107↗Canadian Centre for Cyber Security remediation guidance↗CVE authority or vendor reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2019-5532 · cve.blacktree.nl