VMware Tools for Windows (11.x.y and 10.x.y prior to 12.0.0) contains an uncontrolled search path vulnerability.
VMware Tools for Windows (11.x.y and 10.x.y prior to 12.0.0) contains an uncontrolled search path vulnerability. A malicious actor with local administrative privileges in the Windows guest OS, where VMware Tools is installed, may be able to execute code with system privileges in the Windows guest OS due to an uncontrolled search path element.
- Published
- Mar 3, 2022
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 1.3% · 69th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-427
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Report tools
Action score
26
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 26 / 40 · 6.7 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 1.3%
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for the hundreds of thousands of vulnerabilities in the database; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| vmware | tools | cpe:2.3:a:vmware:tools |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- vmware tools10.0.0 and later · before 12.0.0
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (vmware). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
n/a VMware Tools for Windows
- VMware Tools for Windows (11.x.y and 10.x.y prior to 12.0.0)affected
Same product
vmware: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2023-20867VMware Tools Authentication Bypass VulnerabilityKEV49Plan
- CVE-2023-34057VMware Tools contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability.31Monitor
- CVE-2022-31676VMware Tools (12.0.0, 11.x.y and 10.x.y) contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability.31Monitor
- CVE-2016-7080The graphic acceleration functions in VMware Tools 9.x and 10.x before 10.0.9 on OS X allow local users to gain privileges or cause a denial31Monitor
- CVE-2016-7079The graphic acceleration functions in VMware Tools 9.x and 10.x before 10.0.9 on OS X allow local users to gain privileges or cause a denial31Monitor
- CVE-2025-41246Improper authorisation vulnerability30Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
National notice (Türkiye Cybersecurity Directorate / USOM)
Official security notices citing this record; remediation advice is on the agency's page.
- TR-22-0193 · Mar 3, 2022(VMware Güvenlik Zafiyeti)
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
- Administrator privileges are required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Local
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-427 · Uncontrolled Search Path ElementCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
ATT&CK techniques
- Hijack Execution Flow:DLL search order hijackingT1574.001
- Hijack Execution Flow: Dylib HijackingT1574.004
- Hijack Execution Flow: Path Interception by PATH Environment VariableT1574.007
- Hijack Execution Flow: Path Interception by Search Order HijackingT1574.008
- Hijack Execution Flow: Path Interception by Unquoted PathT1574.009
Change log
No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.
References
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.