Auth bypass in VMware Tools
CVE-2023-20867
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.
Vulnerability class: Broken Authentication
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 3.9 (Low). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.135 (96.4th percentile), scored .
Moderate probability of exploitation in the next 30 days — watch for active exploitation reports. 96th percentile — 96.4% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.135 · newest: 0.135 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- VMware Tools
- VMware Tools — versions 12.2.5
- Debian Linux — versions 10.0, 11.0, 12.0
- Fedoraproject Fedora — versions 37, 38, 39
Weakness classification (CWE)
CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities)
This CVE is on the CISA KEV catalog, added on . CISA KEV inclusion means CISA has confirmed in-the-wild exploitation; US federal agencies are required to remediate within a published due date.
BOD 22-01 due date: .
Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2023-0013.html (Patch, Vendor Advisory)
- security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230725-0001/ (Third Party Advisory)
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/08/msg00020.html (Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
- www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5493 (Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/… (Mailing List, Release Notes)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/… (Mailing List, Release Notes)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/… (Mailing List, Release Notes)
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/16/2 (Patch, Mailing List)
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/16/11 (Patch, Mailing List)
- 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 (US Government Resource)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2023-20867?
- CVE-2023-20867 is a low-severity vulnerability in VMware Tools, classified under Improper Authentication. CVSS score: 3.9/10. Published 2023-06-13.
- How severe is CVE-2023-20867?
- Low severity. CVSS v3 base score is 3.9 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2023-20867 known to be exploited?
- Yes. CVE-2023-20867 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2023-06-23), indicating it is being actively exploited. 3 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed.