VMWare Player 7.1.3 DLL Hijacking

`Hi @ll,  
  
on February 13, 2016, I sent a vulnerability report regarding the  
then current executable installer of VMware-player 7.1.3 to its  
vendor.  
  
On September 14, 2016, VMware published  
<http://blogs.vmware.com/security/2016/09/vmsa-2016-0014.html> and  
<http://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2016-0014.html>  
  
I was NOT AMUSED that it took 7 month to fix this beginner's error.  
  
  
In January 2018, VMware published VMware-player-12.5.9-7535481.exe,  
available via <https://www.vmware.com/go/downloadplayer> from  
<https://download3.vmware.com/software/player/file/VMware-player-12.5.9-7535481.exe>,  
which shows this vulnerability again (plus THREE others), again  
allowing arbitrary code execution WITH escalation of privilege!  
  
Apparently VMware's developers haven't heard of regression tests  
yet, and their QA (if they have one) seems sound asleep!  
  
  
On a fully patched Windows 7 SP1, VMware-player-12.5.9-7535481.exe  
loads CredSSP.dll, WSHTCPIP.dll, WSHIP6.dll and RASAdHlp.dll from  
its "application directory", typically the user's "Downloads"  
directory "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads", instead from Windows'  
"system directory" "%SystemRoot%\System32".  
  
For this well-known and well-documented vulnerability see  
<https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/426.html> and  
<https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/427.html> plus  
<https://capec.mitre.org/data/definitions/471.html>.  
  
  
The application manifest embedded in VMware-player-12.5.9-7535481.exe  
specifies "requireAdministrator", so any (rogue) DLL placed by the  
unprivileged user in the "Downloads" directory is executed with  
administrative rights, resulting in arbitrary code execution WITH  
escalation of privilege.  
  
CVSS v3 Base Score: 8.2 (High) CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H  
CVSS v2 Base Score: 7.8 AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C  
  
  
Demonstration/proof of concept:  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
1. follow the instructions from  
<https://skanthak.homepage.t-online.de/minesweeper.html>  
and build a minefield of 32-bit forwarder DLLs in your "Downloads"  
directory;  
  
2. download  
<https://download3.vmware.com/software/player/file/VMware-player-12.5.9-7535481.exe>,  
and save it in your "Downloads" directory;  
  
3. execute VMware-player-12.5.9-7535481.exe: notice the message  
boxes displayed from the DLLs built in step 1!  
  
  
stay tuned (and FAR away from ALL executable installers!)  
Stefan Kanthak  
  
  
Timeline:  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
2018-06-03 vulnerability report(s) sent to vendor  
  
2018-06-13 vendor acknowledged receipt:  
"We will look into this and provide feedback in due course."  
  
2018-06-14 vendor replies:  
"It is my understanding that Workstation Player 12.x has  
since reached end of general support (in February of 2018)  
as per our Lifecycle Product Matrix  
<https://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/support/product-lifecycle-matrix.pdf>."  
  
2018-08-01 report published  
`