Critical · published March 4, 2025
CVSS calls it critical at 9.3. It is confirmed in active exploitation. It sits in the 75.0th percentile for exploit probability.
🚨 Local admin access is the key to a potentially devastating exploit! A TOCTOU vulnerability in VMware ESXi and Workstation allows malicious actors to execute code as the VMX process, creating a serious risk for your virtual environment. 🔥 Think of this like a waiter who checks in on your order but forgets to double-check the kitchen before serving. If the ingredients change between the order verification and the meal being plated, you might end up with a surprise — and not the tasty kind! An attacker with local administrative privileges could execute arbitrary code on the host, effectively taking control of the entire virtual machine. This could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information, possible data corruption, or even a complete takeover of the system — absolutely devastating!
Think of this like a waiter who checks in on your order but forgets to double-check the kitchen before serving. If the ingredients change between the order verification and the meal being plated, you might end up with a surprise — and not the tasty kind! This TOCTOU vulnerability allows an attacker to exploit the time gap between checking a condition and using its result, leading to an out-of-bounds write that can compromise the VMX process of the virtual machine.
An attacker with local administrative privileges could execute arbitrary code on the host, effectively taking control of the entire virtual machine. This could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information, possible data corruption, or even a complete takeover of the system — absolutely devastating! Immediate action is essential: patch your VMware ESXi and Workstation to the latest versions as soon as possible. Ensure that local administrative privileges are granted on a strict need-to-have basis and audit your systems regularly for unauthorized access. You've got this! By following these steps, you can secure your environment and keep those virtual machines safe! 🛡️