Overview
VMware ESXi and Workstation contain a time-of-check time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition vulnerability that leads to an out-of-bounds write. Successful exploitation enables an attacker with local administrative privileges on a virtual machine to execute code as the virtual machine's VMX process running on the host.
https://support.broadcom.com/web/ecx/support-content-notification/-/external/content/SecurityAdvisories/0/25390 ; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-22224
Key Details
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| CVE ID | CVE-2025-22224 |
| Vendor / Product | VMware — ESXi and Workstation |
| NVD Published | 2025-03-04 |
| NVD Last Modified | 2025-10-30 |
| CVSS 3.1 Score | 9.3 |
| CVSS 3.1 Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| Severity | CRITICAL |
| CWE | CWE-367 |
| CISA KEV Added | 2025-03-04 |
| CISA KEV Deadline | 2025-03-25 |
| Known Ransomware Use | No |
CVSS 3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Required Action
CISA BOD 22-01 Deadline: 2025-03-25.
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2025-03-04 | Added to CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog |
| 2025-03-25 | CISA BOD 22-01 remediation deadline |
References
| Resource | Type |
|---|---|
| NVD — CVE-2025-22224 | Vulnerability Database |
| CISA KEV Catalog Entry | US Government |