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Identity ManagerApplication · VMware

CVE-2022-22972

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-05-20
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
High EPSS 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
VMware Workspace ONE Access, Identity Manager and vRealize Automation contain an authentication bypass vulnerability affecting local domain users. A malicious actor with network access to the UI may be able to obtain administrative access without the need to authenticate.

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

This is a pre-authentication bypass vulnerability in VMware identity management products that allows an unauthenticated attacker with network access to the management UI to gain administrative access without any credentials. The flaw affects local domain user authentication mechanisms in Workspace ONE Access, Identity Manager, and vRealize Automation.

MitigationApply vendor-provided patches immediately to all affected VMware products. Restrict network access to the management UI to trusted networks or VPN-only access as an interim control until patching is complete.

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
Identity ManagerApplication
Affected:= 3.3.3= 3.3.4= 3.3.5= 3.3.6
Vrealize AutomationApplication
Affected:= 7.6
Workspace One AccessApplication
Affected:= 20.10.0.0= 20.10.0.1= 21.08.0.0= 21.08.0.1
Cloud FoundationApplication
Affected:= 3.0= 3.0.1= 3.0.1.1= 3.5= 3.5.1= 3.7= 3.7.1= 3.7.2= 3.8= 3.8.1= 3.9= 3.9.1
Vrealize Suite Lifecycle ManagerApplication
Affected:= 8.0= 8.0.1= 8.1= 8.2= 8.3= 8.4= 8.4.1= 8.6= 8.6.1= 8.6.2= 8.7= 8.8

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Identify the installed VMware product
    Access the management UI or check system documentation to determine if you are running Workspace ONE Access, VMware Identity Manager, vRealize Automation, vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager, or VMware Cloud Foundation.
    Affected if Any of these products are installed.
  2. Determine the product version
    In the product management console, navigate to the About or System Diagnostics section to find the exact version number (for example, 20.10.0.0, 3.3.5, 7.6, 8.6, etc.).
    Affected if The version matches one listed in the affected versions: Identity Manager 3.3.3-3.3.6, Workspace ONE Access 20.10.0.0 through 21.08.0.1, vRealize Automation 7.6, Cloud Foundation 3.0-3.9.1, or vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager 8.0-8.8.
  3. Verify local domain user authentication is configured
    In the product admin console, go to the Authentication settings or User Directory configuration and check if local domain (local auth) user authentication is enabled.
    Affected if Local domain authentication is enabled as an authentication method.
  4. Confirm network accessibility of management UI
    Check if the management interface (typically ports 443 or 8443) is exposed to untrusted networks or the internet. Use network scans or review firewall rules.
    Affected if The management UI is accessible from untrusted networks without VPN or network segmentation.

You are affected if you run any of the listed products at the specified versions AND have local domain authentication enabled AND the management UI is network-accessible to potential attackers.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor-provided patches immediately to all affected VMware products. Restrict network access to the management UI to trusted networks or VPN-only access as an interim control until patching is complete.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Obtain the fixed version from VMware Security Advisory VMSA-2022-0014 at vmware.com - fixed versions vary by product and should be confirmed from official VMware documentation

  1. 1. Identify the affected VMware product in your environment from: Identity Manager, vRealize Automation, Workspace ONE Access, Cloud Foundation, or vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager
  2. 2. Check your current installed version against the affected versions listed (Identity Manager 3.3.3-3.3.6, vRealize Automation 7.6, Workspace ONE Access 20.10.0.0-21.08.0.1, Cloud Foundation 3.0-3.5, vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager 8.0-8.2)
  3. 3. Consult VMware Security Advisory VMSA-2022-0014 (or subsequent advisories for this CVE) at vmware.com to obtain the specific fixed version for your product
  4. 4. Download and apply the corresponding patch or upgrade to the fixed version as specified in the VMware advisory
  5. 5. After patching, verify the fix by reviewing VMware's release notes and confirming the authentication bypass is addressed
  6. 6. Validate that administrative access now requires proper authentication
Caveat Verify compatibility with your environment and review VMware upgrade documentation for any configuration or migration requirements specific to your product version

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

Fix this in Identity Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,720
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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-2022-22972 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data