CVE-2016-3643
Published: November 3, 2021
Official Description
SolarWinds Virtualization Manager allows for privilege escalation through leveraging a misconfiguration of sudo.
CISA KEV Advisory
SolarWinds Virtualization Manager Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
SolarWinds Virtualization Manager allows for privilege escalation through leveraging a misconfiguration of sudo.
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Risk Analysis
SolarWinds Virtualization Manager is vulnerable to privilege escalation due to a misconfiguration of sudo. The high EPSS score of 0.05418 indicates a significant likelihood of exploitation, and its inclusion in CISA's KEV confirms it has been actively exploited.
Active exploitation of this vulnerability has been observed in the wild. Exploitation requires local access to leverage the sudo misconfiguration.
Administrators should apply the latest security updates for SolarWinds Virtualization Manager. Review and correct sudo configurations to prevent unauthorized privilege escalation.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2016-3643 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.
Exploitation requires some privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
CISA has added CVE-2016-3643 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. U.S. federal agencies are required to patch this within the mandated timeframe, and all organizations should treat remediation as urgent.
Exploit & PoC Resources
All References (1)
Quick Facts
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2016-3643 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
- !CISA KEV: Federal agencies must patch per BOD 22-01 timeline
- !Active exploitation confirmed — treat as P1