CVE-2023-34059Public exploit

Input injection via inherited privileged file descriptor

Published Oct 27, 2023 · Updated Mar 6, 2025

File descriptor hijacking in VMware open-vm-tools 11.0.0 through 12.3.0 allows local users to simulate keyboard and mouse input. The setuid vmware-user-suid-wrapper opens /dev/uinput as root, drops privileges, then executes vmtoolsd with the privileged descriptor inherited and the process dumpable. Any local account can duplicate the descriptor through ptrace permissions or pidfd_getfd; a logged-in victim session lets injected input execute actions with that user's authority.

CVSS severity7.4
High
EPSS probability0.40%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

File descriptor hijacking in VMware open-vm-tools 11.0.0 through 12.3.0 allows local users to simulate keyboard and mouse input. The setuid vmware-user-suid-wrapper opens /dev/uinput as root, drops privileges, then executes vmtoolsd with the privileged descriptor inherited and the process dumpable. Any local account can duplicate the descriptor through ptrace permissions or pidfd_getfd; a logged-in victim session lets injected input execute actions with that user's authority.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-34059
Published
Oct 27, 2023
Updated
Mar 6, 2025
Vendor
VMware
Product
open-vm-tools
Classifications
CWE-404, T1548.001
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 27, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Mar 6, 2025Record 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=11.0.0 <=12.3.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

VMware · open-vm-toolsversion=11.0.0 <=12.3.0

Published CVSS scores

7.4VMwareCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
7.0NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-404Improper Resource Shutdown or Release
T1548.001Setuid and Setgid

Public exploit references

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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