VMware ESXi, and Workstation contain a TOCTOU (Time-of-Check Time-of-Use) vulnerability that leads to an out-of-bounds write.
Affects VMware ESXi 7.0 and 8.0 and VMware Workstation 17.x, with exposure requiring local administrative privileges on a virtual machine. Fixed in ESXi 8.0U3d, 8.0U2d, 7.0U3s and Workstation 17.6.3.
- 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- Where the record stands: published, rejected by its publisher, or superseded by another id.What do these mean?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
- Fix
- Fixed in ESXi80U3d-24585383, ESXi80U2d-24585300, ESXi70U3s-24585291, 17.6.3
- 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 ESXi and VMware Workstation are affected by this vulnerability. A malicious user with local administrator access inside a virtual machine could exploit it to run code as the VMX process on the host system.
Summarized by anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5. Verify details against the original sources.
Read the original description
VMware ESXi, and Workstation contain a TOCTOU (Time-of-Check Time-of-Use) vulnerability that leads to an out-of-bounds write. A malicious actor with local administrative privileges on a virtual machine may exploit this issue to execute code as the virtual machine's VMX process running on the host.
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
Affected versions
- VMware ESXi
From 8.0 · fixed in ESXi80U3d-24585383; From 8.0 · fixed in ESXi80U2d-24585300; From 7.0 · fixed in ESXi70U3s-24585291
- VMware Workstation
From 17.x · fixed in 17.6.3
- VMware VMware Cloud Foundation
5.x, 4.5.x
- VMware Telco Cloud Platform
5.x, 4.x, 3.x, 2.x
- VMware Telco Cloud Infrastructure
3.x, 2.x
References 1
Questions about CVE-2025-22224
What does this mean?
A time-of-check time-of-use flaw can lead to an out-of-bounds write. Per the advisory, a local administrator on a virtual machine may use it to execute code as that VM's VMX process on the host.Source: support.broadcom.com
Am I affected, and how do I check?
The advisory lists VMware ESXi 7.0 and 8.0 and VMware Workstation 17.x. To check an ESXi host, compare its version and build shown in the host summary or by running vmware -v in the ESXi shell; for Workstation, check the version under Help > About.Source: support.broadcom.com
What should I do about it?
Upgrade ESXi to ESXi80U3d-24585383 for 8.0 U3, ESXi80U2d-24585300 for 8.0 U2, or ESXi70U3s-24585291 for 7.0 U3, and upgrade Workstation to 17.6.3 or later.Source: support.broadcom.com
Is it being exploited?
Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2025-03-04, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked.Source: cisa.gov, cve.now feed data