How to remediate – VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard Inactive (macOS)

1. Introduction

VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard is a security solution that can become inactive on macOS hosts. This means the endpoint protection isn’t running, leaving systems vulnerable to threats. Businesses need to ensure their endpoints are protected against malware and other attacks. Affected systems are typically macOS computers with the Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard software installed. A non-running agent impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data on the host.

2. Technical Explanation

• Root cause: The necessary Carbon Black services are stopped or failed to start automatically.
• Exploit mechanism: An attacker delivers a malicious payload (e.g., through phishing, drive-by download) which executes on the vulnerable system without detection.
• Scope: macOS systems running VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard.

3. Detection and Assessment

You can confirm if your system is vulnerable by checking whether the Carbon Black services are active. A quick check involves using Activity Monitor, while a thorough method uses the command line to verify service status.

• Quick checks: Open Activity Monitor and search for processes related to “carbonblack”. If none are running, the system is likely vulnerable.
• Scanning: No common scanner signatures directly detect this state; however, endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems may flag missing telemetry.
• Logs and evidence: Check system logs (/var/log/system.log) for errors related to Carbon Black services or failed startup attempts.

launchctl list | grep carbonblack

4. Solution / Remediation Steps

These steps will ensure the associated Carbon Black services are running, restoring endpoint protection. Each step is designed to be testable and safe.

4.1 Preparation

• Change window: This change can be implemented during normal business hours, but it’s best to schedule it during a period of low activity. Approval isn’t usually needed for this type of fix.

4.2 Implementation

1. Step 1: Open Terminal on the macOS host.
2. Step 2: Start the Carbon Black services using the following command: sudo launchctl start com.carbonblack.cloud.agent
3. Step 3: Verify that the services have started successfully (see Verification section).

4.3 Config or Code Example

Before

launchctl list | grep carbonblack  # No Carbon Black processes listed

After

launchctl list | grep carbonblack # Carbon Black processes are now listed as running. 

4.4 Security Practices Relevant to This Vulnerability

Several security practices can help prevent this issue and maintain a secure endpoint environment.

• Practice 1: Patch cadence – Regularly update Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard to benefit from bug fixes and improvements, including service stability enhancements.
• Practice 2: Monitoring – Implement alerting on missing telemetry from endpoints to quickly identify when agents stop reporting.

4.5 Automation (Optional)

#!/bin/bash
# Script to check and start Carbon Black services on macOS
for host in $(cat /path/to/hostlist); do
  ssh $host "launchctl list | grep carbonblack"
  if [[ "$?" -ne 0 ]]; then
    echo "Carbon Black not running on $host. Starting..."
    ssh $host "sudo launchctl start com.carbonblack.cloud.agent"
  fi
done

5. Verification / Validation

Confirm the fix by checking that Carbon Black services are running and verifying telemetry is being sent. A negative test involves confirming malware detection functionality works as expected.

• Post-fix check: Run launchctl list | grep carbonblack. The output should show several Carbon Black processes with a status of “running”.
• Re-test: Re-run the quick check from Section 3 (Activity Monitor) to confirm that Carbon Black processes are now visible and active.
• Smoke test: Confirm that file downloads from trusted sources are scanned by Carbon Black, as indicated in the agent console.
• Monitoring: Create a log alert for missing heartbeat signals from endpoints within your SIEM or monitoring tool.

launchctl list | grep carbonblack # Expected output: processes listed with running status

6. Preventive Measures and Monitoring

Update security baselines to include Carbon Black service checks, and incorporate automated deployment pipelines to ensure consistent configuration.

• Baselines: Update your macOS security baseline or policy to require Carbon Black services to be running at all times.
• Pipelines: Add a check in your CI/CD pipeline to verify that the Carbon Black agent is installed and active on all deployed macOS systems.
• Asset and patch process: Review and update the Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard configuration regularly, ensuring it aligns with security best practices. A monthly review cycle is sensible.

7. Risks, Side Effects, and Roll Back

Starting the services shouldn’t cause service impacts, but there’s a small risk of conflicts if other software interferes. If issues occur, simply restart the system to revert.

• Risk or side effect 1: Potential conflict with other security software. Mitigation: Review logs for any conflicting processes and temporarily disable them if necessary.
• Roll back: Restart the macOS host. If the issue persists, contact VMware support.

8. References and Resources

• Vendor advisory or bulletin: https://www.carbonblack.com/products/endpoint-standard/
• NVD or CVE entry: Not applicable, as this is a configuration issue rather than a specific vulnerability with a CVE ID.
• Product or platform documentation relevant to the fix: https://community.vmware.com/t5/Carbon-Black-Endpoint-Standard/How-to-start-stop-restart-the-Cb-Protection-sensor/m-p/329817