CVE-2023-20891Network attack vector

Admin credential disclosure via hex-encoded audit logging

Published Jul 26, 2023 · Updated Oct 21, 2024

Credential disclosure in VMware Tanzu Application Service for VMs and Isolation Segment allows remote authenticated users to obtain CF API admin credentials. Platform system audit logging writes the credentials in reversible hexadecimal encoding rather than redacting them. Access to those logs is restricted from non-admin users by default, but an authorized log reader can recover the credentials and push malicious application versions.

CVSS severity6.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.64%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Credential disclosure in VMware Tanzu Application Service for VMs and Isolation Segment allows remote authenticated users to obtain CF API admin credentials. Platform system audit logging writes the credentials in reversible hexadecimal encoding rather than redacting them. Access to those logs is restricted from non-admin users by default, but an authorized log reader can recover the credentials and push malicious application versions.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-20891
Published
Jul 26, 2023
Updated
Oct 21, 2024
Vendor
VMware
Product
Isolation Segment
Classifications
CWE-532, T1552.001
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 26, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 21, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=2.11.x <2.11.35
  2. Affected versionversion=2.13.x <2.13.20
  3. Affected versionversion=3.0.x <3.0.13
  4. Affected versionversion=4.0.x <4.0.4

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

VMware · Isolation Segmentversion=2.11.x <2.11.35; version=2.13.x <2.13.20; version=3.0.x <3.0.13; version=4.0.x <4.0.4
VMware · VMware Tanzu Application Service for VMsversion=2.11.x <2.11.42; version=2.13.x <2.13.24; version=3.0.x <3.0.14; version=4.0.x <4.0.5

Published CVSS scores

6.5VMwareCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-532Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File
T1552.001Credentials In Files

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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