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HorizonApplication · VMware

CVE-2022-22962

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-04-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2203 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
VMware Horizon Agent for Linux (prior to 22.x) contains a local privilege escalation as a user is able to change the default shared folder location due to a vulnerable symbolic link. Successful exploitation can result in linking to a root owned file.

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 · high confidence

VMware Horizon Agent for Linux prior to version 22.x contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability where users can change the default shared folder location via a vulnerable symbolic link, allowing attackers to link to root-owned files and escalate privileges to root.

MitigationUpgrade VMware Horizon Agent for Linux to version 22.x or later to remediate the symbolic link vulnerability.

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
HorizonApplication
Affected:< 2203

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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. Confirm VMware Horizon Agent for Linux is installed
    Run command to list installed packages related to VMware Horizon (e.g., rpm -qa | grep -i horizon or dpkg -l | grep -i horizon on Debian-based systems)
    Affected if No VMware Horizon Agent for Linux package is found - not affected
  2. Identify installed version of VMware Horizon Agent for Linux
    Run command to get version (e.g., rpm -q <package-name> or dpkg -s <package-name>) and compare the version number to 2203
    Affected if Version is 2203 or higher - not vulnerable. Version is below 2203 or cannot be determined - potentially affected
  3. Check if shared folder feature is configured
    Inspect Horizon Agent configuration for shared folder settings - look for configurations related to 'shared folder', 'folder sharing', or the vmware-hgfs module
    Affected if Shared folder feature is not configured or disabled - likely not affected despite version. Shared folder is enabled - likely affected if version < 2203
  4. Inspect symbolic link related to shared folder location
    Check for symbolic links in paths related to Horizon shared folders (commonly under /mnt/hgfs or configuration directories for Horizon agent)
    Affected if A vulnerable symbolic link exists that allows user manipulation of the shared folder path - confirmed vulnerable

User is affected if VMware Horizon Agent for Linux version is below 2203 AND the shared folder feature is enabled, allowing manipulation of the default shared folder location via symbolic link for privilege escalation.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2203 or later
Fixed in 2203
Interim mitigation

Upgrade VMware Horizon Agent for Linux to version 22.x or later to remediate the symbolic link vulnerability.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

VMware Horizon Agent for Linux version 2203 or later (22.x release train)

  1. 1. Identify the current VMware Horizon Agent for Linux version installed by checking the installed packages or running the appropriate package manager command.
  2. 2. Download the fixed version (2203 or later) of VMware Horizon Agent for Linux from the official VMware website or your VMware subscription portal.
  3. 3. Review VMware's installation and upgrade documentation for Horizon Agent for Linux to ensure all prerequisites are met.
  4. 4. Stop any running Horizon Agent services before upgrading.
  5. 5. Install the updated Horizon Agent for Linux package using your distribution's package manager (e.g., dpkg, rpm, or apt-get).
  6. 6. Restart the Horizon Agent services after successful installation.
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking that the installed version is 2203 or later.
  8. 8. Test that the shared folder functionality works correctly with the updated agent.
Caveat Review VMware Horizon 2203 release notes for any compatibility changes with Horizon Connection Server or Horizon Client versions before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Horizon Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2022-22962 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data