3 different VMware zero days, under active exploitation by ransomware group
CVE-2025-22224, CVE-2025-22225, CVE-2025-22226
VMware ESXi
VMware Workstation Pro / Player (Workstation)
VMware Fusion
VMware Cloud Foundation
VMware Telco Cloud Platform
(Exploitation actually ESXi)
VMware have set the Attack Vector to Local, which brings down the CVSS score - but you don't need to be locally at a VM to do the attack, you can do it over the internet if you have access to any VM.
If you change it to Network, you get 10
Good catch by @TomSellers - although VMware doesn't list ESXi 6.7 as vulnerable, it is - they've published a patch for it: https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware-cis/vsphere/vsphere/6-7/release-notes/esxi-update-and-patch-release-notes/vmware-esxi-67-patch-release-esxi670202503001.html
I think what's happening here is 6.7 is under premium (paid) extended support where they publish patches for high severity vulns for $$
This also tends to indicate it applies to other unsupported versions. The forum post suggested that vuln worked on ESXi 5.x - no patch is available that far back.
I think this may be a big problem for many orgs.
Another good catch by @TomSellers - VMware's website advisory has less detail than their github for some reason.
Their github: https://github.com/vmware/vcf-security-and-compliance-guidelines/tree/main/security-advisories/vmsa-2025-0004
According to their Github, additional VMware ESXi versions are impacted (e.g. 6.5, 6.7) and older versions are likely impacted but no patches available.
An in the wild exploit for RCE hypervisor escape across every supported (and unsupported) product like this is unprecedent.
Security, compliance, and operational resilience resources applicable to VMware Cloud Foundation and VMware vSphere. This repository is an official VMware repository managed by Broadcom staff. - vm...
Quick mspaint.exe diagram on this, calling it ESXicape
- Have access to something like a Windows 11 Virtual Desktop system in VMware, or a Linux box or some such?
- Use ESXicape, a chain of three zero days, to gain access to the ESXi Hypervisor.
- Use that to access every other VM, and be on the management network of VMware cluster
One you have this level of access, traditionally you'll see groups like ransomware actors steal files and wipe things. #ESXicape
I wrote up everything I know about #ESXicape https://doublepulsar.com/use-one-virtual-machine-to-own-them-all-active-exploitation-of-esxicape-0091ccc5bdfc
Yesterday, VMware quietly released patches for three ESXi zero day vulnerabilities: CVE-2025–22224, CVE-2025–22225, CVE-2025–22226. Although the advisory doesn’t explicitly say it, this is a…
Does anybody know anybody at VMware Security who could have a look at the #ESXicape knowledge base article please?
It's missing 6.5 and 6.7, which are definitely vulnerable and have patches available on Broadcom's site. They're also listed in the VMware Github advisory, but have been missed off the support site. It's causing people to not patch.
A new twist on #ESXicape - you need local admin rights to escape the VM to the hypervisor, right?
Slight issue - VMware Tools, installed inside VMs, allows local user to local admin privilege escalation on every VM due to vuln CVE-2025-22230
“A malicious actor with non-administrative privileges on a Windows guest VM may gain ability to perform certain high-privilege operations within that VM.”
Discovered by Positive Technologies, who US claim hack for Moscow.
Reupping this thread - remember to patch both #ESXicape and CVE-2025-22230 in VMware Tools.
The four vulns chained together allow full hypervisor escape from a Windows VM, without needing admin rights, gaining full SAN storage access to all VMs from one host - including to backups.
I understand technical exploitation details for this will start to emerge in public late next week, which will enable more groups to jump on the bandwagon. Currently limited to a ransomware group.
CISA have today caught up with my Mastodon thread... from almost a year ago.
For the record, it's always been used by ransomware operators. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/cisa-vmware-esxi-flaw-now-exploited-in-ransomware-attacks/
@GossiTheDog they kept it off on purpose. The GitHub page even says so. It's weird though and is very confusing for those who actually might have a legit reason to run 6.5 and 6.7.
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Products that are past their End of General Support dates are not evaluated as part of security advisories, and are not listed in the official VMSA. Broadcom strongly encourages all customers using vSphere 6.5 and 6.7 to update to vSphere 8.
Security, compliance, and operational resilience resources applicable to VMware Cloud Foundation and VMware vSphere. This repository is an official VMware repository managed by Broadcom staff. - vm...
@waldi @GossiTheDog From a remote connection. You're technically correct (the best kind), but I agree with Kevin that it should have been a network attack vector.
But that would make it a 10, which gives them bad publicity 🤷
@GossiTheDog What exactly do you mean with "you can do it over the internet if you have access to any VM".
Do you mean there needs to be an attacker service running on the VM or that just having a service like a webserver running inside such a VM is enough? (As long as said webserver is accessible from external).
Also to what extend would such a service have to be compromised first?
I just came here to ask you why these vulnerabilities are rated so critical if they can't be remotely exploited. Looks like you partially answered my question, but can you say more, please? Isn't it pretty much always game over when a threat actor has unauthorized access to a VM connected to your network? What's the scenario you're envisioning that makes these CVEs such a threat?
Kevin Beaumont
David Wong
Dźwiedziu
Cali
waldi
Mary Branscombe
Michael Stanclift
Chad Brigance
#/usr/sbin/rtheren
Interpipes 💙
Jeffrey
Ben Aveling
Klaus Frank
Coral (bleached era)
Dan Goodin
Amber 