Improper signature verification in VMware Tools
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Adjacent network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-347.
Summary
VMware Tools contains a SAML token signature bypass vulnerability. A malicious actor that has been granted Guest Operation Privileges https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/8.0/vsphere-security/GUID-6A952214-0E5E-4CCF-9D2A-90948FF643EC.html in a target virtual machine may be able to elevate their privileges if that target virtual machine has been assigned a more privileged Guest Alias https://vdc-download.vmware.com/vmwb-repository/dcr-public/d1902b0e-d479-46bf-8ac9-cee0e31e8ec0/07ce8dbd-db48-4261-9b8f-c6d3ad8ba472/vim.vm.guest.AliasManager.html .
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | VMware Tools | 12.x.x; 11.x.x; 10.3.x | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| — | open-vm-tools | 11.0.0 – 12.3.0 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- VMware Tools Vendor— Affected 12.x.x; 11.x.x; 10.3.x Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- open-vm-tools Vendor— Affected 11.0.0 – 12.3.0 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 9
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:vmware:open_vm_tools:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 11.0.0 – 12.3.0 | Vulnerable | VMware |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 10.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 11.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:12.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 12.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
| cpe:2.3:a:vmware:tools:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 10.3.0 to before 12.3.5 | Vulnerable | VMware |
| cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Running on | Microsoft |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:37:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 37 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:38:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 38 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:39:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 39 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
- cpe:2.3:a:vmware:open_vm_tools:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 11.0.0 – 12.3.0 Vulnerable ·VMware
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 10.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 11.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:12.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 12.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
- cpe:2.3:a:vmware:tools:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 10.3.0 to before 12.3.5 Vulnerable ·VMware
- cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Running on ·Microsoft
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:37:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 37 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:38:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 38 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:39:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 39 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
Remediation
Red Hat 10 advisories
- RHSA-2023:7263 Released 2023-11-15 · Red Hat rating Importantopen-vm-tools security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.8.6) open-vm-tools-11.3.5-1.el8_6.5, open-vm-tools-desktop-11.3.5-1.el8_6.5, open-vm-tools-sdmp-11.3.5-1.el8_6.5
- RHSA-2023:7264 Released 2023-11-15 · Red Hat rating Importantopen-vm-tools security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.8.8) open-vm-tools-12.1.5-2.el8_8.4, open-vm-tools-desktop-12.1.5-2.el8_8.4, open-vm-tools-salt-minion-12.1.5-2.el8_8.4 +1
- RHSA-2023:7262 Released 2023-11-15 · Red Hat rating Importantopen-vm-tools security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream AUS (v.8.4) open-vm-tools-11.2.0-2.el8_4.4, open-vm-tools-desktop-11.2.0-2.el8_4.4, open-vm-tools-sdmp-11.2.0-2.el8_4.4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v.8.4) open-vm-tools-11.2.0-2.el8_4.4, open-vm-tools-desktop-11.2.0-2.el8_4.4, open-vm-tools-sdmp-11.2.0-2.el8_4.4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream TUS (v.8.4) open-vm-tools-11.2.0-2.el8_4.4, open-vm-tools-desktop-11.2.0-2.el8_4.4, open-vm-tools-sdmp-11.2.0-2.el8_4.4
Show 7 more Red Hat advisories
- RHSA-2023:7260 Released 2023-11-15 · Red Hat rating Importantopen-vm-tools security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v. 8.1) open-vm-tools-10.3.10-3.el8_1.5, open-vm-tools-desktop-10.3.10-3.el8_1.5
- RHSA-2023:7276 Released 2023-11-15 · Red Hat rating Importantopen-vm-tools security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.2) open-vm-tools-12.1.5-1.el9_2.4, open-vm-tools-desktop-12.1.5-1.el9_2.4, open-vm-tools-salt-minion-12.1.5-1.el9_2.4 +2
- RHSA-2023:7277 Released 2023-11-15 · Red Hat rating Importantopen-vm-tools security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) open-vm-tools-12.2.5-3.el9_3.2, open-vm-tools-desktop-12.2.5-3.el9_3.2, open-vm-tools-salt-minion-12.2.5-3.el9_3.2 +2
- RHSA-2023:7279 Released 2023-11-15 · Red Hat rating Importantopen-vm-tools security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client (v. 7) open-vm-tools-11.0.5-3.el7_9.9, open-vm-tools-desktop-11.0.5-3.el7_9.9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client Optional (v. 7) open-vm-tools-devel-11.0.5-3.el7_9.9, open-vm-tools-test-11.0.5-3.el7_9.9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode Optional (v. 7) open-vm-tools-devel-11.0.5-3.el7_9.9, open-vm-tools-test-11.0.5-3.el7_9.9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 7) open-vm-tools-11.0.5-3.el7_9.9, open-vm-tools-desktop-11.0.5-3.el7_9.9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Optional (v. 7) open-vm-tools-devel-11.0.5-3.el7_9.9, open-vm-tools-test-11.0.5-3.el7_9.9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 7) open-vm-tools-11.0.5-3.el7_9.9, open-vm-tools-desktop-11.0.5-3.el7_9.9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation Optional (v. 7) open-vm-tools-devel-11.0.5-3.el7_9.9, open-vm-tools-test-11.0.5-3.el7_9.9
- RHSA-2023:7267 Released 2023-11-15 · Red Hat rating Importantopen-vm-tools security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.0) open-vm-tools-11.3.5-1.el9_0.5, open-vm-tools-desktop-11.3.5-1.el9_0.5, open-vm-tools-sdmp-11.3.5-1.el9_0.5 +1
- RHSA-2023:7261 Released 2023-11-15 · Red Hat rating Importantopen-vm-tools security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream AUS (v. 8.2) open-vm-tools-11.0.0-4.el8_2.4, open-vm-tools-desktop-11.0.0-4.el8_2.4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v. 8.2) open-vm-tools-11.0.0-4.el8_2.4, open-vm-tools-desktop-11.0.0-4.el8_2.4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream TUS (v. 8.2) open-vm-tools-11.0.0-4.el8_2.4, open-vm-tools-desktop-11.0.0-4.el8_2.4
- RHSA-2023:7265 Released 2023-11-15 · Red Hat rating Importantopen-vm-tools security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 8) open-vm-tools-12.2.5-3.el8_9.1, open-vm-tools-desktop-12.2.5-3.el8_9.1, open-vm-tools-salt-minion-12.2.5-3.el8_9.1 +1
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7265 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7277 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream AUS (v. 8.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7261 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream AUS (v.8.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7262 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v. 8.1) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7260 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v. 8.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7261 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v.8.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7262 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.8.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7263 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.8.8) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7264 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7267 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7276 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream TUS (v. 8.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7261 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream TUS (v.8.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7262 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7279 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client Optional (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7279 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode Optional (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7279 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7279 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Optional (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7279 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7279 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation Optional (v. 7) | Fixed | RHSA-2023:7279 |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2023-34058
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-h5hf-5wcj-6hmf
References
Advisory 6
- https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2023-0024.html
- https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5543
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/11/msg00002.html
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/WLTKVTRKQW2GD2274H3UOW6XU4E62GSK/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/G7G77Z76CQPGUF7VHRA6O3UFCMPPR4O2/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/MQUOFQL2SNNNMKROQ3TZQY4HEYMNOIBW/
Sources
- CVE-2023-34058 · CVE Program
- CVE-2023-34058 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-h5hf-5wcj-6hmf · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2023-34058 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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