CVE-2025-41236
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 · uneditedVMware ESXi, Workstation, and Fusion contain an integer-overflow vulnerability in the VMXNET3 virtual network adapter. A malicious actor with local administrative privileges on a virtual machine with VMXNET3 virtual network adapter may exploit this issue to execute code on the host. Non VMXNET3 virtual adapters are not affected by this issue.
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 confidenceA critical integer-overflow vulnerability exists in VMware's VMXNET3 virtual network adapter across ESXi, Workstation, and Fusion. An attacker with local administrative privileges on a virtual machine configured with the VMXNET3 adapter can exploit this flaw to escape the VM and execute arbitrary code on the host system.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify your VMware product typeDetermine whether the host runs ESXi, Workstation, or Fusion. On ESXi, use 'vmware -v' via SSH or check vSphere Client. On Workstation/Fusion, check Help > About.Affected if Product is ESXi, Workstation, or Fusion
-
Check installed VMware versionESXi: 'vmware -v' or check host summary in vSphere Client. Workstation: Help > About VMware Workstation. Fusion: VMware Fusion > About VMware Fusion. Compare the version number to VMware's official affected version list.Affected if Version matches an affected release of ESXi, Workstation, or Fusion
-
Enumerate VMs with VMXNET3 adapterESXi: Use PowerCLI 'Get-VM | Get-NetworkAdapter | Where-Object {$_.Type -eq "Vmxnet3"}' or check VM settings in vSphere Client. Workstation/Fusion: Open VM settings, expand Network Adapter, verify adapter type.Affected if Any VM is configured to use VMXNET3 as the network adapter type
-
Verify administrative VM access existsReview VM user permissions and local admin accounts within the guest VM. Check if untrusted users have administrative privileges on VMs using VMXNET3.Affected if Users with local administrative rights on a VMXNET3-equipped VM include non-host-admin accounts
Environment is affected if the VMware product version falls within the vulnerable range AND at least one VM uses the VMXNET3 adapter with accessible administrative privileges.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataApply VMware's official patches when released. Until then, consider migrating vulnerable VMs to alternative virtual network adapters (e.g., e1000e, vmxnet3 Enhanced) if operationally feasible, or restrict administrative access to VMs using VMXNET3.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,888.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-41236 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-41236 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
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.
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.
- 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