VMware ESXi and Workstation
CVE-2025-22224
VMware ESXi and Workstation contain a time-of-check time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition vulnerability that leads to an out-of-bounds write. Successful exploitation enables an attacker with local administrative privileges on a virtual machine to execute code as the virtual machine's VMX process running on the host.
What this means for your business
- It affects VMware ESXi and Workstation. 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 4 March 2025.
- FIRST's prediction model gives it a 2% chance of attack attempts being seen in the next 30 days, ranking above 73% of all known flaws.
What to do
- 1Check whether your company or your suppliers run VMware ESXi and Workstation.
- 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 25 March 2025. 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 mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
CISA’s wording, unedited.
Scoring
- CVSS
- Not yet scored
Dates
- Published
- 2025-03-04
- Added to KEV
- 2025-03-04
- Remediation due
- 2025-03-25
- Sources
- CISA KEV