VMware Workstation: Use After Free
CVE-2024-22267 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in VMware Workstation, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with administrator privileges, without any action from a user. The record lists version 17.5.2 as the first without the flaw, so updating VMware Workstation to that release or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.7% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 54% of scored CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update VMware Workstation to 17.5.2 or a later version.
- Update VMware Fusion to 13.5.2 or a later version.
- Update vmware_workstation to 17.5.2 or a later version.
- Read the advisory on support.broadcom.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| VMware Workstation | VMware Workstation | 17.x up to, but not including, 17.5.2 | 17.5.2 |
| VMware Fusion | VMware Fusion | 13.x up to, but not including, 13.5.2 | 13.5.2 |
| VMware | vmware_workstation | 17.0 up to, but not including, 17.5.2 | 17.5.2 |
| VMware | fusion | 13.0.0 up to, but not including, 13.5.2 | 13.5.2 |
| VMware | Workstation | 17.0.0 up to, but not including, 17.5.2 | 17.5.2 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- HighAdministrator-level access is required first.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 9.3 | Critical | CNA (vmware.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 8.2 | High | NVD |
Official description
VMware Workstation and Fusion contain a use-after-free vulnerability in the vbluetooth device. A malicious actor with local administrative privileges on a virtual machine may exploit this issue to execute code as the virtual machine's VMX process running on the host.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Use After Free
The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory belongs to the code that operates on the new pointer.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Choose a language that provides automatic memory management.
- When freeing pointers, be sure to set them to NULL once they are freed. However, the utilization of multiple or complex data structures may lower the usefulness of this strategy.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Other vulnerabilities in VMware Workstation
- 6.0 Medium severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 8.4 High severity
Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities
- 8.6 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 9.6 Critical severity
Google Chromium Visuals Use-After-Free Exploited
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.0 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
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