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Noroxi
NVD / CVE Program· CNA vmware

CVE-2022-31676: VMware Tools (12.0.0, 11.x.y and 10.x.y) contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability.

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 31/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.54% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: open-vm-tools (AlmaLinux:8) 11.3.5-1.el8_6.1; open-vm-tools-desktop (AlmaLinux:8) 11.3.5-1.el8_6.1; open-vm-tools-sdmp (AlmaLinux:8) 11.3.5-1.el8_6.1.
  • Mentioned 1 time in Turkish national cyber security advisories (siberguvenlik.gov.tr).

Low priority for now. Upgrade to open-vm-tools (AlmaLinux:8) 11.3.5-1.el8_6.1; open-vm-tools-desktop (AlmaLinux:8) 11.3.5-1.el8_6.1; open-vm-tools-sdmp (AlmaLinux:8) 11.3.5-1.el8_6.1 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

VMware Tools (12.0.0, 11.x.y and 10.x.y) contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability. A malicious actor with local non-administrative access to the Guest OS can escalate privileges as a root user in the virtual machine.

HighCVSS 7.8 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Aug 23, 2022
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
0.5% · 45th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

31

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
31 / 40 · 7.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.5%

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

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When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
vmwaretools
microsoftwindows
linuxlinux kernel
debiandebian linux
fedoraprojectfedora
netappontap select deploy administration utility

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • debian debian linux10.0
  • debian debian linux11.0
  • fedoraproject fedora36
  • fedoraproject fedora37
  • netapp ontap select deploy administration utilityall versions
  • vmware tools11.0.0 and later · before 12.1.0
  • vmware tools10.0.0 and later · before 10.3.25
  • vmware tools10.0.0 and later · before 12.1.0

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

    • VMware Tools (12.0.0, 11.x.y and 10.x.y)affected

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
AlmaLinux:8open-vm-toolsbefore 11.3.5-1.el8_6.111.3.5-1.el8_6.1
AlmaLinux:8open-vm-tools-desktopbefore 11.3.5-1.el8_6.111.3.5-1.el8_6.1
AlmaLinux:8open-vm-tools-sdmpbefore 11.3.5-1.el8_6.111.3.5-1.el8_6.1
AlmaLinux:9open-vm-toolsbefore 11.3.5-1.el9_0.111.3.5-1.el9_0.1
AlmaLinux:9open-vm-tools-desktopbefore 11.3.5-1.el9_0.111.3.5-1.el9_0.1
AlmaLinux:9open-vm-tools-sdmpbefore 11.3.5-1.el9_0.111.3.5-1.el9_0.1
AlmaLinux:9open-vm-tools-testbefore 11.3.5-1.el9_0.111.3.5-1.el9_0.1
Alpine:v3.14open-vm-toolsbefore 11.2.5-r111.2.5-r1
Alpine:v3.15open-vm-toolsbefore 11.3.5-r211.3.5-r2
Alpine:v3.16open-vm-toolsbefore 12.1.0-r012.1.0-r0
Debian:10open-vm-toolsbefore 2:10.3.10-1+deb10u32:10.3.10-1+deb10u3
Debian:11open-vm-toolsbefore 2:11.2.5-2+deb11u12:11.2.5-2+deb11u1
Debian:12open-vm-toolsbefore 2:12.1.0-12:12.1.0-1
openSUSE:Leap 15.3open-vm-toolsbefore 12.1.0-150300.19.112.1.0-150300.19.1
openSUSE:Tumbleweedopen-vm-toolsbefore 12.1.0-1.112.1.0-1.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientopen-vm-toolsbefore 0:11.0.5-3.el7_9.40:11.0.5-3.el7_9.4
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientopen-vm-tools-debuginfobefore 0:11.0.5-3.el7_9.40:11.0.5-3.el7_9.4
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientopen-vm-tools-desktopbefore 0:11.0.5-3.el7_9.40:11.0.5-3.el7_9.4
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientopen-vm-tools-develbefore 0:11.0.5-3.el7_9.40:11.0.5-3.el7_9.4
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientopen-vm-tools-testbefore 0:11.0.5-3.el7_9.40:11.0.5-3.el7_9.4
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamopen-vm-toolsbefore 0:11.3.5-1.el8_6.10:11.3.5-1.el8_6.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamopen-vm-tools-debuginfobefore 0:11.3.5-1.el8_6.10:11.3.5-1.el8_6.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamopen-vm-tools-debugsourcebefore 0:11.3.5-1.el8_6.10:11.3.5-1.el8_6.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamopen-vm-tools-desktopbefore 0:11.3.5-1.el8_6.10:11.3.5-1.el8_6.1

+42

Same product

vmware: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2023-20867VMware Tools Authentication Bypass VulnerabilityKEV
    49Plan
  • CVE-2023-34057VMware Tools 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 denial
    31Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2022-22943Mar 3, 2022 · VMware Tools for Windows (11.x.y and 10.x.y prior to 12.0.0) contains an uncontrolled search path vulnerability.
    26Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2022-22977May 24, 2022 · VMware Tools for Windows(12.0.0, 11.x.y and 10.x.y) contains an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability.
    28Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2022-31693Jun 7, 2023 · VMware Tools for Windows (12.x.y prior to 12.1.5, 11.x.y and 10.x.y) contains a denial-of-service vulnerability in the VM3DMP driver.
    22Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
almalinux:open-vm-tools11.3.5-1.el8_6.1 · AlmaLinux:8Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:open-vm-tools-desktop11.3.5-1.el8_6.1 · AlmaLinux:8Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:open-vm-tools-sdmp11.3.5-1.el8_6.1 · AlmaLinux:8Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:open-vm-tools-test11.3.5-1.el9_0.1 · AlmaLinux:9Package registry (OSV)
alpine:open-vm-tools11.2.5-r1 · Alpine:v3.14Package registry (OSV)
debian:open-vm-tools2:12.1.0-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:open-vm-tools12.1.0-150300.19.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.3Package registry (OSV)
red hat:open-vm-tools0:10.3.10-3.el8_1.3 · Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.1::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:open-vm-tools-debuginfo0:10.3.10-3.el8_1.3 · Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.1::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:open-vm-tools-debugsource0:10.3.10-3.el8_1.3 · Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.1::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:open-vm-tools-desktop0:10.3.10-3.el8_1.3 · Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.1::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:open-vm-tools-desktop-debuginfo0:10.3.10-3.el8_1.3 · Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.1::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:open-vm-tools-devel0:11.0.5-3.el7_9.4 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::clientPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:open-vm-tools-sdmp0:11.2.0-2.el8_4.1 · Red Hat:rhel_eus:8.4::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:open-vm-tools-sdmp-debuginfo0:11.2.0-2.el8_4.1 · Red Hat:rhel_eus:8.4::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:open-vm-tools-test0:11.3.5-1.el9_0.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:open-vm-tools-test-debuginfo0:10.3.10-3.el8_1.3 · Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.1::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
rocky linux:open-vm-tools0:11.3.5-1.el8_6.1 · Rocky Linux:8Package registry (OSV)
suse:open-vm-tools12.1.0-150300.19.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP3Package registry (OSV)
suse:open-vm-tools12.1.0-4.45.1 · SUSE:OpenStack Cloud 9Package registry (OSV)

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.

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

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 researchers

Finders, 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.

All national notices →

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • 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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-269 · Improper Privilege Management

CVSS vector

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

nvd-primary

Root cause

To simplify setup, a service account is granted broad, cluster-wide permissions. The principle of least privilege is skipped during installation.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-269 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

yaml
kind: ClusterRolerules:  - apiGroups: ["*"]    resources: ["*"]    verbs: ["*"]

Fixed

yaml
kind: Rolemetadata:  namespace: lodos-systemrules:  - apiGroups: ["apps"]    resources: ["deployments"]    verbs: ["get", "list", "update"]

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (8 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records