Used in attacks· fix by 2023-07-14Not scored yet
VMware Tools
CVE-2023-20867
VMware Tools contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in the vgauth module. 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. An attacker must have root access over ESXi to exploit this vulnerability.
What this means for your business
- It affects VMware Tools. It matters if your company, or a supplier that handles your data, runs it.
- Attackers are already using it. CISA added it to its list of flaws used in real attacks on 23 June 2023.
- FIRST's prediction model gives it a 14% chance of attack attempts being seen in the next 30 days, ranking above 96% of all known flaws.
What to do
- 1Check whether your company or your suppliers run VMware Tools.
- 2If you do, follow CISA's required action below. No patch reference has been published yet.
- 3Treat it as urgent. US federal agencies must fix it by 14 July 2023. That deadline does not apply to private companies, but it shows how seriously CISA takes it.
- 4Because attackers have used it, check the affected systems for signs of a break-in, not only for the update.
Not sure if your company is exposed?
Fastnexa’s certified penetration testers can check whether attackers could use this flaw, or others like it, against your websites, apps and network. The full test is free for our first 10 founding clients until 31 December 2026.
Required action
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
CISA’s wording, unedited.
Scoring
- CVSS
- Not yet scored
Dates
- Published
- 2023-06-23
- Added to KEV
- 2023-06-23
- Remediation due
- 2023-07-14
- Sources
- CISA KEV