Broadcom Issues Patches for VMware NSX and vCenter Security Flaws

CVE-2020-4006 is a command injection flaw (CWE-78, CVSS 3.1 9.1) in the admin consoles of VMware Workspace ONE Access, Workspace ONE Access Connector, VMware Identity Manager, and VMware Identity Manager Connector, with the affected components also shipped inside VMware Cloud Foundation and vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager. An attacker who gains privileged access to an admin console, which is typically reachable over the network, can inject and run arbitrary commands on the appliance, achieving full compromise of the host with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact and a changed scope. Organizations running the affected identity products are exposed, especially where the admin console is internet-facing or reachable from untrusted networks. The bug was actively exploited by Russian state-sponsored (SVR/APT29) actors against unpatched deployments, prompting a CISA emergency directive, NSA and FBI joint warnings, and inclusion in the KEV catalog; EPSS estimates a 17.3% probability of exploitation within 30 days, and no public proof-of-concept is known.

Do: Apply the patches VMware released in its November 2020 advisory (VMSA-2020-0027) for all affected products, connectors, and any Cloud Foundation or vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager deployments that embed the components — this is a KEV-required action. As an interim mitigation, restrict network access to the admin console (typically port 8443) to trusted users and networks only. Review admin-console and system logs for signs of command injection or SVR/APT29 activity, since the bug was exploited in the wild by Russian state-sponsored actors.

CVE-2025-41244 is a local privilege escalation flaw (CWE-267, improper privilege management) in Broadcom's VMware Aria Operations and VMware Tools, arising from privileged operations performed in an unsafe manner. To exploit it, a malicious actor with non-administrative privileges must already have local access to a virtual machine that runs VMware Tools and is managed by Aria Operations with SDMP enabled, at which point they can escalate to root on that same VM. Successful exploitation yields full root-level control (high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact per the 7.8 CVSS score) on affected guest VMs. Organizations running VMware Aria Operations-managed estates with VMware Tools or Open VM Tools on guests, including VMware Cloud Foundation, Cloud Foundation Operations, Telco Cloud, and Debian-packaged Tools deployments, are affected. The flaw is being actively exploited in the wild: CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2025-10-30, and news reports attribute exploitation to a China-linked actor, with EPSS estimating an 8.4% chance of exploitation within 30 days (95th percentile).

Do: Apply the Broadcom patches for CVE-2025-41244 per the vendor advisory to Aria Operations and update VMware Tools/Open VM Tools on all managed guests, including bundled components in VMware Cloud Foundation, Cloud Foundation Operations, and Telco Cloud products; follow CISA KEV/BOD 22-01 requirements (patch per vendor instructions or discontinue use for cloud services). As interim mitigation, restrict non-administrative local access on Aria Operations-managed VMs and review whether SDMP is enabled, prioritizing internet-adjacent and high-value guests; Debian users should track the Debian advisory for updated open-vm-tools packages.

VMware Aria Operations contains an information disclosure vulnerability. A malicious actor with non-administrative privileges in Aria Operations may exploit this vulnerability to disclose credentials of other users of Aria Operations.

VMware Tools for Windows contains an improper authorisation vulnerability due to the way it handles user access controls. A malicious actor with non-administrative privileges on a guest VM, who is already authenticated through vCenter or ESX may exploit this issue to access other guest VMs. Successful exploitation requires knowledge of credentials of the targeted VMs and vCenter or ESX.

VMware vCenter contains an SMTP header injection vulnerability. A malicious actor with non-administrative privileges on vCenter who has permission to create scheduled tasks may be able to manipulate the notification emails sent for scheduled tasks.

VMware NSX contains a weak password recovery mechanism vulnerability. An unauthenticated malicious actor may exploit this to enumerate valid usernames, potentially enabling brute-force attacks. Impact: Username enumeration → credential brute force risk. Attack Vector: Remote, unauthenticated. Severity: Important. CVSSv3: 8.1 (High). Acknowledgments: Reported by the National Security Agency. Affected Products:VMware NSX 9.x.x.x, 4.2.x, 4.1.x, 4.0.x NSX-T 3.x VMware Cloud Foundation (with NSX) 5.x, 4.5.x Fixed Versions: NSX 9.0.1.0; 4.2.2.2/4.2.3.1 http://4.2.2.2/4.2.3.1 ; 4.1.2.7; NSX-T 3.2.4.3; CCF async patch (KB88287). Workarounds: None.

Description: VMware NSX contains a username enumeration vulnerability. An unauthenticated malicious actor may exploit this to enumerate valid usernames, potentially leading to unauthorized access attempts. Impact: Username enumeration → facilitates unauthorized access. Attack Vector: Remote, unauthenticated. Severity: Important. CVSSv3: 7.5 (High). Acknowledgments: Reported by the National Security Agency. Affected Products: * VMware NSX 9.x.x.x, 4.2.x, 4.1.x, 4.0.x * NSX-T 3.x * VMware Cloud Foundation (with NSX) 5.x, 4.5.x Fixed Versions: * NSX 9.0.1.0; 4.2.2.2/4.2.3.1 http://4.2.2.2/4.2.3.1 ; 4.1.2.7; NSX-T 3.2.4.3; CCF async patch (KB88287). Workarounds: None.