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WorkstationApplication · VMware

CVE-2024-22252

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.5.1 / 17.5.1 or later.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 ESXi, Workstation, and Fusion contain a use-after-free vulnerability in the XHCI USB controller. A malicious actor with local administrative privileges on a virtual machine may exploit this issue to execute code as the virtual machine's VMX process running on the host. On ESXi, the exploitation is contained within the VMX sandbox whereas, on Workstation and Fusion, this may lead to code execution on the machine where Workstation or Fusion is installed.

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

Use-after-free vulnerability in the XHCI USB controller of VMware ESXi, Workstation, and Fusion. A malicious actor with local administrative privileges on a virtual machine can exploit this to execute code as the VMX process on the host. On ESXi, exploitation is contained within the VMX sandbox; on Workstation and Fusion, it may lead to code execution on the host machine.

MitigationApply VMware security patches for this vulnerability when released. As a defense-in-depth measure, restrict local administrative privileges on VMs and limit USB device passthrough to trusted VMs only.

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
WorkstationApplication
Affected:>= 17.0.0, < 17.5.1
EsxiOperating system
Affected:= 7.0= 7.0.0= 8.0
FusionApplication
Affected:>= 13.0.0, < 13.5.1

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 installed VMware product
    On Windows: Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, look for VMware Workstation or VMware Fusion. On ESXi host: Run 'esxcli system version get' via SSH or check vSphere Client host summary.
    Affected if Product is VMware Workstation, Fusion, or ESXi
  2. Determine product version
    Workstation: Run 'vmware -v' or check Help > About VMware Workstation. Fusion: Check VMware Fusion > About VMware Fusion. ESXi: Run 'esxcli system version get' or check vmware -v at host console.
    Affected if Version falls within affected ranges: Workstation >= 17.0.0 and < 17.5.1, Fusion >= 13.0.0 and < 13.5.1, ESXi 7.0.x or 8.0.x
  3. Check if XHCI USB controller is configured
    Open VM settings and navigate to USB Controller. Verify the controller type is set to XHCI (USB 3.x) or check VMX file for 'xhci' string in USB configuration section.
    Affected if XHCI USB controller is present or enabled in the VM configuration
  4. Verify USB passthrough is active
    In VM settings under USB Controller, check if device passthrough is enabled or if USB devices are connected/passthrough is allowed. On ESXi, check VM hardware USB controller configuration in vSphere Client.
    Affected if USB passthrough is enabled or USB devices are actively passthrough to the VM

You are affected if you run Workstation < 17.5.1, Fusion < 13.5.1, or ESXi 7.x/8.x with an XHCI USB controller and USB passthrough enabled, and an attacker has local admin rights on that VM.

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 13.5.1 / 17.5.1 or later
Fixed in 13.5.117.5.1
Interim mitigation

Apply VMware security patches for this vulnerability when released. As a defense-in-depth measure, restrict local administrative privileges on VMs and limit USB device passthrough to trusted VMs only.

Recommended fix High confidence

Workstation: 17.5.1 | Fusion: 13.5.1 | ESXi: Apply VMSA-2024-0006 patch for versions 7.0 and 8.0

  1. 1. Determine which VMware product is affected (Workstation, ESXi, or Fusion)
  2. 2. For VMware Workstation: Download and install version 17.5.1 or later from vmware.com
  3. 3. For VMware Fusion: Download and install version 13.5.1 or later from vmware.com
  4. 4. For VMware ESXi: Apply the appropriate ESXi patch from VMware's security advisories (VMSA-2024-0006)
  5. 5. After patching, restart the affected services or hosts as required by the update
  6. 6. Verify the version of the installed product matches or exceeds the fixed release

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

Fix this in Workstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2024-22252 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