Horizon Alert
Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters
VMware ESXi and Workstation products are affected by a vulnerability. This flaw can allow a malicious actor with existing administrative access within a virtual machine to execute code on the host system. Such an event could lead to the compromise of host systems and data.
- Vulnerable VMware products
- Time-of-check, time-of-use flaw
- Code execution on host systems
Attack Path
How an attacker could exploit the issue
A Time-of-Check, Time-of-Use vulnerability in VMware ESXi and Workstation allows for code execution on the host system. This occurs when an attacker, already possessing local administrative privileges within a virtual machine, exploits a race condition. This leads to an out-of-bounds write, enabling the attacker to execute code as the virtual machine's VMX process on the host.
- Local administrative access to VM required.
- Attacker triggers race condition.
- Code execution as VMX process.
Live Threat
Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context
This vulnerability impacts VMware products by allowing an attacker with existing administrative privileges within a virtual machine to execute code on the host system. This could lead to significant compromise of the virtualized environment and the underlying infrastructure. The potential for widespread disruption and data loss necessitates careful consideration for remediation.
- Attackers need local administrative privileges.
- Exploitation can lead to code execution on the host.
- Business risk is high due to potential system compromise.
Priority actions
Operational Fix
Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps
This vulnerability impacts VMware ESXi and Workstation, potentially allowing a local attacker with administrative privileges on a virtual machine to execute code on the host system. The risk is classified as internal, meaning it requires existing access to a virtual machine to be exploited. Addressing this issue involves identifying affected systems, reducing potential exposure, applying vendor-provided fixes, verifying the successful implementation of these fixes, and ongoing monitoring for related activities.
- Find affected VMware assets.
- Reduce exposure or isolate risk.
- Fix, verify, and monitor.
