VMware · ESXi
CVE-2024-37085
VMware ESXi Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
What it is
VMware ESXi contains an authentication bypass vulnerability. A malicious actor with sufficient Active Directory (AD) permissions can gain full access to an ESXi host that was previously configured to use AD for user management https://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/09/joining-vsphere-hosts-to-active-directory.html by re-creating the configured AD group ('ESXi Admins' by default) after it was deleted from AD.
CISA: VMware ESXi contains an authentication bypass vulnerability. A malicious actor 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.
What to do
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Deadline for US federal agencies: August 20, 2024
More exploited flaws from VMware
| Added | Vulnerability | Product | Severity | Attack chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 4, 2025 | Arbitrary Write | ESXi | High 8.2 | 1.0% |
| Nov 3, 2021 | OpenSLP Use-After-Free | ESXi | Critical 9.8 | 83% |
| Mar 4, 2025 | TOCTOU Race Condition | ESXi and Workstation | Critical 9.3 | 1.6% |
| Mar 4, 2025 | Information Disclosure | ESXi, Workstation, and Fusion | High 7.1 | 1.6% |
| Nov 20, 2024 | Heap-Based Buffer Overflow | vCenter Server | Critical 9.8 | 55% |
| Nov 20, 2024 | Privilege Escalation | vCenter Server | High 7.5 | 17% |
| Jul 17, 2024 | Incorrect Default File Permissions Vulnerability | vCenter Server | Medium 6.5 | 13% |
| Jan 22, 2024 | Out-of-Bounds Write | vCenter Server | Critical 9.8 | 99.2% |
Sources: Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (CISA, public domain), CVE records (cve.org) and EPSS (FIRST). The chance of attacks is the EPSS estimate that someone will try to exploit the flaw in the next 30 days.