#VU60618 Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition in VMware ESXi - CVE-2021-22043

Vulnerability identifier: #VU60618

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 5.9 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2021-22043

CWE-ID: CWE-367

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
VMware ESXi
Operating systems & Components / Operating system

Vendor: VMware, Inc

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to a Time-of-check Time-of-use vulnerability when handling temporary files. A local user with access to settingsd can escalate privileges on the system.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

VMware ESXi: before ESXi70U1e-19324898

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External links
https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2022-0004.html

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.