CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2025-41244Exploited in the wildNVD status: Analyzed

Broadcom VMware Aria Operations and VMware Tools Privilege Defined with Unsafe Actions

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2025-41244 is a high-severity privilege defined with unsafe actions vulnerability in VCF operations from VMware, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists version 9.0.1.0 as the first without the flaw, so updating VCF operations to that release or later removes the exposure. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on October 30, 2025, which means attacks have been observed in the wild.

Patch now

Attackers are already exploiting this vulnerability, according to CISA.

What to do

  1. Update VCF operations to 9.0.1.0 or a later version.
  2. Update VMware tools to 13.0.5.0 or 12.5.4, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  3. Update VMware Aria Operations to 8.18.5 or a later version.
  4. CISA's required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
  5. Read the advisory on support.broadcom.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
VMwareVCF operations9.0.x up to, but not including, 9.0.1.09.0.1.0
VMwareVMware tools13.x.x.x up to, but not including, 13.0.5.0; 12.5.x up to, but not including, 12.5.413.0.5.0, 12.5.4
VMwareVMware Aria Operations8.18.x up to, but not including, 8.18.58.18.5
VMwareVMware Cloud Foundation5.x up to, but not including, 8.18.5; 4.x up to, but not including, 8.18.58.18.5
VMwareVMware Telco Cloud Platform5.x up to, but not including, 8.18.5; 4.x up to, but not including, 8.18.58.18.5
VMwareVMware Telco Cloud Infrastructure3.x up to, but not including, 8.18.5; 2.x up to, but not including, 8.18.58.18.5
VMwareAria Operations8.0 up to, but not including, 8.18.58.18.5
VMwareCloud Foundation4.0 through 5.2.2Not stated
VMwareCloud Foundation Operations9.0Not stated
VMwareOpen VM Tools11.2.0 up to, but not including, 12.5.4; 13.0.012.5.4
VMwareTelco Cloud Infrastructure2.2 through 3.0Not stated
VMwareTelco Cloud Platform4.0 up to, but not including, 5.0.15.0.1
DebianDebian Linux11.0Not stated
VMwareTools12.5.0 up to, but not including, 12.5.4; 13.0.0.0 up to, but not including, 13.0.5.012.5.4, 13.0.5.0

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
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
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:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (vmware.com).

Official description

VMware Aria Operations and VMware Tools contain a local privilege escalation vulnerability. A malicious local actor with non-administrative privileges having access to a VM with VMware Tools installed and managed by Aria Operations with SDMP enabled may exploit this vulnerability to escalate privileges to root on the same VM.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Privilege Defined With Unsafe Actions

A particular privilege, role, capability, or right can be used to perform unsafe actions that were not intended, even when it is assigned to the correct entity.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
  • Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment. For example, database applications rarely need to run as the database administrator, especially in day-to-day operations.

More Privilege Defined With Unsafe Actions vulnerabilities (CWE-267)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: active, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue.
  4. Deadline for US federal agencies to remediate, set by CISA.
  5. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Third-party and government advisories

Technical write-ups (may include proof of concept)

Other vulnerabilities in VCF operations

All VCF operations vulnerabilities

Recent Privilege Defined With Unsafe Actions vulnerabilities

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