CVE-2025-22230

Local privilege escalation to high-privilege operations

Published Mar 25, 2025 · Updated Mar 25, 2025

Improper access control in VMware Tools for Windows 11.x.x and 12.x.x before 12.5.1 allows local users to perform high-privilege operations. Broadcom has not disclosed the affected component, alternate path, or access-control check that accepts the unauthorized operation. Non-administrative access inside a Windows guest is required, and the reported consequence remains confined to privileged operations within that guest.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.35%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper access control in VMware Tools for Windows 11.x.x and 12.x.x before 12.5.1 allows local users to perform high-privilege operations. Broadcom has not disclosed the affected component, alternate path, or access-control check that accepts the unauthorized operation. Non-administrative access inside a Windows guest is required, and the reported consequence remains confined to privileged operations within that guest.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-22230
Published
Mar 25, 2025
Updated
Mar 25, 2025
Vendor
VMware
Product
VMware Tools
Classifications
CWE-288, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 25, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Mar 25, 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=12.x.x, 11.x.x <12.5.1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

VMware · VMware Toolsversion=12.x.x, 11.x.x <12.5.1

Published CVSS scores

7.8VMwareCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/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 exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-288Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

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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