#VU93317 Improper Authentication in VMware ESXi - CVE-2024-37085

Vulnerability identifier: #VU93317

Vulnerability risk: High

CVSSv4.0: 8.6 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/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-2024-37085

CWE-ID: CWE-287

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

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

Vendor: VMware, Inc

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote user to compromise the ESXi host.

The vulnerability exists due to an error within the authentication process. A remote user with sufficient Active Directory (AD) permissions can gain full access to an ESXi host that was previously configured to use AD for user management by re-creating the configured AD group ('ESXi Admins' by default) after it was deleted from AD.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

VMware ESXi: ESXi70U1c-17325551 - 8.0

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External links
https://support.broadcom.com/web/ecx/support-content-notification/-/external/content/SecurityAdvisories/0/24505
https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/8.0/rn/vsphere-esxi-803-release-notes/index.html
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2024/07/29/ransomware-operators-exploit-esxi-hypervisor-vulnerability-for-mass-encryption/

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote authenticated privileged user via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

Yes. This vulnerability is being exploited in the wild.