CVE-2023-20867
VMware Tools Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
Exploited in the wild. In CISA KEV since 2023‑06‑23. A vendor fix is available.
What to do
The vendor has published a fix. Version details are below where the sources state them.
What it is
From the CVE record
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.
In plain language
No plain-language summary for this CVE yet.
Exploitation
Where each signal puts this CVE on the scale from published to confirmed exploited.
- CISA KEV
Listed as exploited in the wild since 2023-06-23.
US federal agencies must remediate by 2023-07-14.
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- Public exploits
No public exploit or proof of concept found in the sources we track.
- EPSS
14% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, which ranks it in the 96th percentile of scored CVEs.
Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST.org. A probability, not a confirmation.
Lifecycle
8 events over 1108 days, from the signal feeds we watch.
- OpenVAS check added
- EPSS band changelow → moderate
- Patch availablerecord updated
- Added to CISA KEV
- Publishedweakness classified, att&ck mapped
Affected products
And 3 more affected products. See all after sign-in
Technical detail
CVSS 3.1 vector
Open in the CVSS calculatorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Scored 3.9 by NVD.
How it is reached
- Attack Vector LocalRequires local access to the vulnerable system (e.g. local login, malicious file)
- Attack Complexity HighRequires specific conditions like a race condition or non-default configuration
- Privileges Required HighRequires admin or elevated privileges
- User Interaction NoneNo user interaction needed — fully automated exploitation
Scope
- Scope ChangedThe exploit can affect other components (e.g. sandbox escape, host compromise from VM)
Impact if exploited
- Confidentiality LowSome restricted information is disclosed, but limited in scope
- Integrity LowData modification is possible but limited in scope or consequence
- Availability NoneNo availability impact
Weaknesses
ATT&CK techniques
Mapped from the weaknesses above (CWE to ATT&CK), not observed in attacks.
Sources
References in the record
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/16/11
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/16/2
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/08/msg00020.html
And 14 more references. See all after sign-in
Watch the software you run.
My Stack ranks new CVEs for your products by real-world exploitation, so the next exploited one reaches you without reading every advisory.
We'll flag the next CVE, public exploit or patch for Tools, not every advisory. This one: actively exploited.
A free account adds
- The full version matrix and every affected product
- Exploit links, proofs of concept and Metasploit modules
- Email alerts for the products you watch
- The same data over REST API, MCP and CLI