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Cloud FoundationApplication · VMware

CVE-2024-22254

HIGH · 8.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 5.0 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
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 ESXi contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability. A malicious actor with privileges within the VMX process may trigger an out-of-bounds write leading to an escape of the sandbox.

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

VMware ESXi contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the VMX process (virtual machine monitor). An attacker with privileges within the VMX process can trigger an out-of-bounds memory write, which can lead to escaping the virtual machine sandbox and potentially gaining code execution on the host.

MitigationApply the VMware security patch for CVE-2024-22254. Until patched, minimize the attack surface by restricting VMX process privileges and following VMware's VM isolation best practices.

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 FoundationApplication
Affected:>= 4.0, <= 5.0
EsxiOperating system
Affected:= 7.0= 7.0.0= 8.0

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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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 ESXi host version
    Run 'vmware -v' or check via vSphere Client host summary to obtain the installed ESXi version
    Affected if Version is 7.0, 7.0.0, or 8.0 (any build within these major releases)
  2. Identify VMware Cloud Foundation version
    Check the Cloud Foundation admin console or run 'vcf --version' if CLI access is available
    Affected if Version is between 4.0 and 5.0 inclusive
  3. Verify VMX processes are running
    Run 'esxcli vm process list' or use 'ps' via ESXi Shell to list VMX processes (vmx processes are spawned for each running virtual machine)
    Affected if Any VMX processes are active on the host (indicates vulnerable code path is in use)
  4. Check for running virtual machines
    Use 'vim-cmd vmsvc/getallvms' or check via vSphere inventory to list all registered VMs
    Affected if Any VMs are registered or running on the ESXi host, as the VMX process must be active for the vulnerability to be triggered

The environment is affected if the ESXi version is 7.0, 7.0.0, or 8.0, or if Cloud Foundation is between 4.0 and 5.0, and any VMs with active VMX processes are running on the host.

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 a release after 5.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the VMware security patch for CVE-2024-22254. Until patched, minimize the attack surface by restricting VMX process privileges and following VMware's VM isolation best practices.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apply VMware ESXi security patches per VMSA-2024-0006 or later; for Cloud Foundation upgrade to 5.0 U1 or later per VMware compatibility matrix

  1. Check VMware Security Advisory VMSA-2024-0006 (or subsequent advisories) for CVE-2024-22254 for specific patch availability
  2. Identify your exact ESXi version by running 'vmware -v' or checking the host client
  3. Download and apply the corresponding ESXi patch from VMware Patch Download Portal
  4. Reboot ESXi hosts after applying the patch
  5. Verify the patch version is applied by running 'esxcli system version get'
Caveat Review VMware patch release notes for any configuration or compatibility changes before applying; test in staging environment

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

Fix this in Cloud Foundation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,780
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,448.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2024-22254 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