Improper Authentication in VMware Tools - CVE-2023-20867
Published: June 13, 2023 / Updated: August 27, 2024
Vulnerability identifier: #VU77208
CSH Severity: High
CVSS v4.0: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:A/U:Amber
CVE-ID: CVE-2023-20867
CWE-ID: CWE-287
Exploitation vector: Local access
Exploit availability:
The vulnerability is being exploited in the wild
Vendor: VMware, Inc
Affected software:
VMware Tools
VMware Tools
Detailed vulnerability description
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to bypass authentication process.
The vulnerability exists due to an error in the vgauth module. An attacker who compromised the ESXi host can bypass authentication process and execute privileged commands across Windows, Linux, and PhotonOS (vCenter) guest VMs without authentication of guest credentials from a compromised ESXi host and no default logging on guest VMs.
Note, the vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild by the UNC3886 APT actor.
How to mitigate CVE-2023-20867
Install updates from vendor's website.