VMware Tools Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
- Published
- Last modified
- Where the record stands: published, rejected by its publisher, or superseded by another id.What do these mean? →
- published
- Whether CISA lists it in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog: proof that attackers are using it.What do these mean? →
- Listed in CISA KEV
- How many real-world setups can hit the bug, from the vendor's advisory and CISA data. It does not know your setup.What do these mean? →
- Actively exploited
- Whether working attack code is public (Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei or GitHub). Public code makes attacks easier.What do these mean? →
- None on Exploit-DB, Metasploit or GitHub
Summary
VMware Tools, the utility suite used in virtual machines running on VMware ESXi hosts, is affected by this flaw. An attacker who has fully compromised an ESXi host could cause VMware Tools to fail authentication for host-to-guest operations, potentially exposing or altering data inside the affected virtual machine.
Summarized by anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5. Verify details against the original sources.
Read the original description
A fully compromised ESXi host can force VMware Tools to fail to authenticate host-to-guest operations, impacting the confidentiality and integrity of the guest virtual machine.
Timeline
- CVE published
- Added to CISA KEV
CISA has evidence of exploitation in the wild
- CISA remediation deadline
Due date for US federal agencies to patch
- Record last updated
- EPSS reached 10%
FIRST estimates at least a 10% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Affected versions
- VMware VMware Tools
Version range not reported
References 9
vmware.com
security.netapp.com
lists.debian.org
debian.org
lists.fedoraproject.org
Questions about CVE-2023-20867
What does this mean?
A fully compromised ESXi host can force VMware Tools to fail to authenticate host-to-guest operations. This impacts the confidentiality and integrity of the guest virtual machine.Source: support.broadcom.com
Am I affected, and how do I check?
The checked facts name VMware Tools but list no affected version ranges. Compare the VMware Tools version in the guest against the vendor advisory's list of affected versions. The attack requires root access over ESXi, so the ESXi host's setup is also relevant.Source: support.broadcom.com
What should I do about it?
The checked facts record no fixed version, so no upgrade target can be named from them. Check the vendor advisory for a fixed VMware Tools release and update to it.Source: support.broadcom.com
Is it being exploited?
Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2023-06-23, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked.Source: cisa.gov, cve.now feed data
What if there's no patch?
The checked facts give no workaround. Limiting root access to the ESXi host is the relevant control, because the attack requires root access over ESXi.Source: support.broadcom.com