dbcve.org
Cloud FoundationApplication · VMware

CVE-2024-22274

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-21
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.1.1 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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
The vCenter Server contains an authenticated remote code execution vulnerability. A malicious actor with administrative privileges on the vCenter appliance shell may exploit this issue to run arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system.

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

This is an authenticated remote code execution vulnerability in VMware vCenter Server. An attacker with administrative privileges on the vCenter appliance shell can exploit this flaw to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system, potentially leading to complete system compromise.

MitigationApply the VMware security patch for CVE-2024-22274 immediately. Restrict administrative access to the vCenter appliance shell and monitor for unauthorized privilege escalation.

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, < 5.1.1
Vcenter ServerApplication
Affected:= 7.0= 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 vCenter Server or Cloud Foundation version
    Log into the vCenter/Cloud Foundation admin console and navigate to System > Summary, or run 'vpxd -v' from the appliance shell to retrieve the exact version number
    Affected if Version is VMware Cloud Foundation 4.0 to 5.1.0, or vCenter Server 7.0.x or 8.0.x (before patches)
  2. Confirm the product type
    Check whether the deployment is VMware Cloud Foundation or standalone vCenter Server by reviewing the inventory or running 'ls -la /etc/vmware/vmware-release'
    Affected if Product is either VMware Cloud Foundation (any version in range) or vCenter Server 7.0/8.0
  3. Verify appliance shell access status
    From the vCenter Managed Object Browser (MOB) at https://vcenter-ip/mob, query the guestDirectory property or use the vpxd service to enumerate shell access settings, or inspect /etc/pam.d/common-auth for authentication configuration
    Affected if The appliance shell is enabled and accessible to administrative users
  4. Review administrative user accounts
    In the vSphere Client, go to Administration > Users and Groups, or query the VPX_ACL table in the vCenter database, to list accounts with Administrator privileges
    Affected if There are administrative accounts present (this is the pre-condition for exploitation, not an indicator of compromise)

You are affected if you are running VMware Cloud Foundation 4.0 through 5.0.x or vCenter Server 7.0.x/8.0.x with the appliance shell accessible to administrative users.

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 5.1.1 or later
Fixed in 5.1.1
Interim mitigation

Apply the VMware security patch for CVE-2024-22274 immediately. Restrict administrative access to the vCenter appliance shell and monitor for unauthorized privilege escalation.

Recommended fix High confidence

VCenter Server 7.0 -> 7.0.3o or later; VCenter Server 8.0 -> 8.0.2d or later; Cloud Foundation -> 5.1.1 or later

  1. Download the latest vCenter Server patch from the VMware/Broadcom patch portal at support.broadcom.com
  2. For vCenter Server 7.0: Upgrade to version 7.0.3o or later which contains the security patch for CVE-2024-22274
  3. For vCenter Server 8.0: Upgrade to version 8.0.2d or later which contains the security patch for CVE-2024-22274
  4. For Cloud Foundation (4.0+): Upgrade to version 5.1.1 or later which contains the fix
  5. Schedule the upgrade during a maintenance window as vCenter services will be temporarily unavailable
  6. Take a snapshot or backup of the vCenter Server appliance before applying the upgrade
  7. Follow VMware's standard upgrade procedures documented in the vCenter Server Upgrade Guide
  8. After upgrade, verify the vCenter Server services are running normally
Caveat vCenter upgrades require downtime; test thoroughly in non-production first; ensure compatibility with existing VMware environment components

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
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-22274 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2024-22274 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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