CVE-2023-20867
LOWCISA KEVEPSS 96th pctlDescription
A fully compromised ESXi host can force VMware Tools to fail to authenticate host-to-guest operations, impacting the confidentiality and integrity of the guest virtual machine.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Exploit Intelligence
Very high risk: more likely to be exploited than 96% of all known CVEs.
VMware Tools Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
VMware Tools contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in the vgauth module. A fully compromised ESXi host can force VMware Tools to fail to authenticate host-to-guest operations, impacting the confidentiality and integrity of the guest virtual machine. An attacker must have root access over ESXi to exploit this vulnerability.
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Remediation due: 2023-07-14
References
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/16/11
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/16/2
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/08/msg00020.html
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/NVKQ6Y2JFJRWPFOZUOTFO3H27BK5GGOG/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/TJNJMD67QIT6LXLKWSHFM47DCLRSMT6W/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/ZJM6HDRQYS74JA7YNKQBFH2XSZ52HEWH/
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230725-0001/
- https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5493
- https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2023-0013.html
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-20867
Find and fix vulnerabilities across your fleet
TridentStack Control continuously scans your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet for known vulnerabilities, prioritizes them by severity and active exploitation, and patches them automatically.
Start freeThis product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2025-10-28.