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EsxiApplication · VMware

CVE-2010-4573

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-12-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The Update Installer in VMware ESXi 4.1, when a modified sfcb.cfg is present, does not properly configure the SFCB authentication mode, which allows remote attackers to obtain access via an arbitrary username and password.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

The Update Installer in VMware ESXi 4.1 fails to properly configure SFCB (Small Footprint CIM Broker) authentication mode when a modified sfcb.cfg file is present during the installation process. This configuration failure allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and gain unauthorized access using arbitrary username and password combinations.

MitigationSince this affects ESXi 4.1 (a legacy product from 2010), the primary remediation is to upgrade to a supported VMware ESXi version. If upgrade is not immediately feasible, verify that sfcb.cfg is in its default state and ensure management interfaces are network-segmented and protected by firewalls.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
EsxiApplication
Affected:= 4.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify ESXi version is 4.1
    Run 'vmware -v' or check the host client/ESXi shell for the version number
    Affected if Version shows exactly 4.1 (any build)
  2. Locate sfcb.cfg configuration file
    Check for /etc/sfcb/sfcb.cfg or look in the ESXi datastore config files for sfcb.cfg
    Affected if File exists and shows modification date prior to any patches or shows non-default authentication settings
  3. Inspect SFCB authentication mode in sfcb.cfg
    Open sfcb.cfg and search for 'enableAnonymousAccess' or 'forceAccountPrefix' settings
    Affected if enableAnonymousAccess is set to true or authentication enforcement is disabled
  4. Verify SFCB service accessibility
    Check if CIM/WBEM ports (5989, 5988) are open using 'netstat -an | grep 598' or firewall rules
    Affected if SFCB CIM broker ports are listening on management network
  5. Check for default SFCB user configuration
    Review sfcb.cfg for user account settings and ensure proper authentication enforcement is configured
    Affected if Authentication is not required or anonymous access is permitted

Environment is affected if running ESXi 4.1 with a modified sfcb.cfg file that disables or bypasses SFCB authentication, and the CIM broker is network-accessible.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Since this affects ESXi 4.1 (a legacy product from 2010), the primary remediation is to upgrade to a supported VMware ESXi version. If upgrade is not immediately feasible, verify that sfcb.cfg is in its default state and ensure management interfaces are network-segmented and protected by firewalls.

Fix this in Esxi Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2010-4573 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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