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Cloud DirectorApplication · VMware

CVE-2023-34060

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.5 or later.
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
VMware Cloud Director Appliance contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in case VMware Cloud Director Appliance was upgraded to 10.5 from an older version. On an upgraded version of VMware Cloud Director Appliance 10.5, a malicious actor with network access to the appliance can bypass login restrictions when authenticating on port 22 (ssh) or port 5480 (appliance management console) . This bypass is not present on port 443 (VCD provider and tenant login). On a new installation of VMware Cloud Director Appliance 10.5, the bypass is not present. VMware Cloud Director Appliance is impacted since it uses an affected version of sssd from the underlying Photon OS. The sssd issue is no longer present in versions of Photon OS that ship with sssd-2.8.1-11 or higher (Photon OS 3) or sssd-2.8.2-9 or higher (Photon OS 4 and 5).

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 Cloud Director Appliance contains an authentication bypass in the underlying Photon OS sssd component that allows bypassing login restrictions on SSH (port 22) and the appliance management console (port 5480). This vulnerability only affects systems upgraded to version 10.5 from older versions, not new installations. The vulnerability exists in specific sssd versions from the base Photon OS that are below sssd-2.8.1-11 (Photon OS 3) or sssd-2.8.2-9 (Photon OS 4/5).

MitigationApply the Photon OS sssd patch (sssd-2.8.1-11+ for Photon OS 3, or sssd-2.8.2-9+ for Photon OS 4/5) or upgrade to a newer VMware Cloud Director Appliance version that includes the patched Photon OS. Alternatively, restrict network access to ports 22 and 5480 until the patch can be applied.

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
Cloud DirectorApplication
Affected:< 10.5

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 VMware Cloud Director Appliance version
    Run 'vcd-cli' or check the appliance management UI for the installed version. Alternatively, query the API at https://<appliance>/api/version or check /opt/vmware/vcd/version for the version file.
    Affected if The installed version is less than 10.5.x (e.g., 10.4.x, 10.3.x, etc.)
  2. Confirm the system was upgraded rather than freshly installed
    Check installation logs in /var/log/vmware/ for upgrade markers, or compare the current version to any known prior version in backup/configuration history. Look for upgrade-specific directories or scripts in /opt/vmware/vcloud-director/data/transfer or check if /opt/vmware/vcd/upgraded exists.
    Affected if The system was upgraded to 10.5 from a previous version rather than deployed as a new installation
  3. Identify the Photon OS version
    Run 'cat /etc/os-release' or 'photonos-version' to determine if the underlying OS is Photon OS 3, 4, or 5.
    Affected if Photon OS 3, 4, or 5 is in use (required for this vulnerability to exist)
  4. Check the installed sssd package version
    Run 'rpm -qa | grep sssd' or 'tdnf list installed sssd' to retrieve the sssd package version number.
    Affected if For Photon OS 3: sssd version is below 2.8.1-11. For Photon OS 4/5: sssd version is below 2.8.2-9.
  5. Verify SSH or management console is network-accessible
    Attempt to reach port 22 (SSH) or port 5480 (appliance console) from an external host, or check firewall rules with 'iptables -L' or 'firewall-cmd --list-ports' to confirm these ports are open to untrusted networks.
    Affected if Ports 22 or 5480 are exposed to network segments where untrusted users could attempt authentication

A system is likely affected if it is a VMware Cloud Director Appliance version below 10.5 that was upgraded from an older version, running on Photon OS with sssd below the patched versions, and has ports 22 or 5480 accessible to untrusted networks.

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 10.5 or later
Fixed in 10.5
Interim mitigation

Apply the Photon OS sssd patch (sssd-2.8.1-11+ for Photon OS 3, or sssd-2.8.2-9+ for Photon OS 4/5) or upgrade to a newer VMware Cloud Director Appliance version that includes the patched Photon OS. Alternatively, restrict network access to ports 22 and 5480 until the patch can be applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

VMware Cloud Director 10.5 or later (with patched sssd: sssd-2.8.1-11+ for Photon OS 3, or sssd-2.8.2-9+ for Photon OS 4/5)

  1. Backup all VMware Cloud Director data and configurations before proceeding
  2. Ensure you have a rollback plan in case of issues
  3. Upgrade VMware Cloud Director to version 10.5 or later, ensuring it includes the patched sssd component from Photon OS
  4. After upgrade, verify that the authentication bypass is no longer present on ports 22 (ssh) and 5480 (appliance management console)
  5. Confirm that port 443 continues to function correctly for VCD provider and tenant logins
Caveat Review VMware release notes for 10.5 for any compatibility or configuration changes from prior versions

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

Fix this in Cloud Director 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-2023-34060 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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