CVE-2025-41244
HighExploitedPublic exploitVMware Aria Operations and VMware Tools contain a local privilege escalation vulnerability.
Published Sep 29, 2025 · Updated Aug 4, 2026 · Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2025-41244, DLA-4316-1, SUSE-RU-2026:20677-1, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-41244, USN-7785-1
Key Facts
Patch immediately- CVE-2025-41244 is a high-severity vulnerability (CVSS 7.8 v3.1) affecting Aria Operations (Vmware), Cloud Foundation (Vmware), Cloud Foundation Operations (Vmware) and 16 more products.
- It is exploited in the wild, listed in CISA KEV, Industry KEV feed, CIRCL KEV, ENISA EUVD since Sep 29, 2025. Public exploit code is available.
- EPSS estimates a 8.4% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- Fixed versions are available, including libvmtools-devel 13.0.0-150300.64.1, libvmtools-devel 13.0.0-150600.3.18.1, libvmtools-devel 13.0.5-1.1.
- Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is listed as exploited in the wild.
CVSS v3.1
7.8
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS (30-day exploit likelihood)
8.4%
Higher than 94.9% of all scored CVEs
Exploited in the wild
Yes
4 catalog listings
Public exploit code
Available
Proof-of-concept or weaponized module
Get the full CVE-2025-41244 brief as a PDF
Every affected product and fixed release, exploitation status and a first 24 hours response checklist, emailed within minutes.
Description
VMware Aria Operations and VMware Tools contain a local privilege escalation vulnerability. A malicious local actor with non-administrative privileges having access to a VM with VMware Tools installed and managed by Aria Operations with SDMP enabled may exploit this vulnerability to escalate privileges to root on the same VM.
Known-Exploited Catalog Listings
| Catalog | Added | Remediation due | Ransomware use |
|---|---|---|---|
| CISA KEV | Oct 30, 2025 | Nov 20, 2025 | Not reported |
| Industry KEV feed | Sep 29, 2025 | Nov 20, 2025 | Not reported |
| CIRCL KEV | Oct 30, 2025 | Nov 20, 2025 | Not reported |
| ENISA EUVD | Oct 30, 2025 | n/a | Not reported |
Required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Affected Products
264 affected entries in total| Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Aria OperationsVmware | >= 8.18.x | 8.18.5 |
| Cloud FoundationVmware | >= 5.x | 5.2.2 |
| Cloud Foundation OperationsVmware | 9.0 | n/a |
| Open Vm ToolsVmware | 13.0.0 | 12.5.4 |
| Telco Cloud InfrastructureVmware | >= 3.x | 3.0 |
Patched Releases
libvmtools-devel
13.0.0-150300.64.1, 13.0.0-150600.3.18.1, 13.0.5-1.1, 13.0.5-150600.3.21.1, 13.0.5-160000.1.1
libvmtools0
13.0.0-150300.64.1, 13.0.0-150600.3.18.1, 13.0.0-4.89.1, 13.0.10-slfo.1.1_1.1, 13.0.5-1.1, 13.0.5-150600.3.21.1, 13.0.5-160000.1.1, 13.0.5-4.92.1, 13.0.5-slfo.1.1_1.1
Open Vm Tools
0:11.3.5-1.el8_6.6, 0:12.5.0-1.el10_0.1, 0:12.5.0-1.el9_6.2, 12.3.0-1.amzn2.0.4, 12.3.0-1.amzn2023.0.5, 12.3.5-2.0.1.el8_10.1, 12.3.5-2.el8_10.1, 12.3.5-3, 12.5.0-1.0.1.el10_0.1, 12.5.0-1.0.1.el9_6.2, 12.5.0-1.el10_0.1, 12.5.0-1.el9_6.2, 13.0.0-150300.64.1, 13.0.0-150600.3.18.1, 13.0.0-2.ph4, 13.0.0-2.ph5, 13.0.0-4.89.1, 13.0.10-slfo.1.1_1.1, 13.0.5-1.1, 13.0.5-150600.3.21.1, 13.0.5-160000.1.1, 13.0.5-4.92.1, 13.0.5-slfo.1.1_1.1, 2:11.2.5-2+deb11u5, 2:11.3.0-2ubuntu0~ubuntu20.04.8+esm1, 2:12.2.0-1+deb12u4, 2:12.3.5-3~ubuntu0.22.04.3, 2:12.5.0-1~ubuntu0.24.04.2, 2:12.5.0-1ubuntu0.2, 2:12.5.0-2+deb13u1, 2:13.0.5-1, 12.5.4
open-vm-tools-containerinfo
13.0.0-150300.64.1, 13.0.0-150600.3.18.1, 13.0.5-1.1, 13.0.5-150600.3.21.1, 13.0.5-160000.1.1, 2:12.3.5-3~ubuntu0.22.04.3, 2:12.5.0-1~ubuntu0.24.04.2, 2:12.5.0-1ubuntu0.2
open-vm-tools-desktop
12.3.0-1.amzn2.0.4, 12.3.0-1.amzn2023.0.5, 12.3.5-2.0.1.el8_10.1, 12.5.0-1.0.1.el10_0.1, 12.5.0-1.0.1.el9_6.2, 13.0.0-150300.64.1, 13.0.0-150600.3.18.1, 13.0.0-4.89.1, 13.0.5-1.1, 13.0.5-150600.3.21.1, 13.0.5-160000.1.1, 13.0.5-4.92.1, 2:11.3.0-2ubuntu0~ubuntu20.04.8+esm1, 2:12.3.5-3~ubuntu0.22.04.3, 2:12.5.0-1~ubuntu0.24.04.2, 2:12.5.0-1ubuntu0.2
open-vm-tools-dev
2:11.3.0-2ubuntu0~ubuntu20.04.8+esm1, 2:12.3.5-3~ubuntu0.22.04.3, 2:12.5.0-1~ubuntu0.24.04.2, 2:12.5.0-1ubuntu0.2
open-vm-tools-devel
12.3.0-1.amzn2.0.4, 12.3.0-1.amzn2023.0.5, 13.0.0-2.ph4, 13.0.0-2.ph5
open-vm-tools-gosc
13.0.0-2.ph4, 13.0.0-2.ph5
open-vm-tools-salt-minion
12.3.0-1.amzn2.0.4, 12.3.0-1.amzn2023.0.5, 12.3.5-2.0.1.el8_10.1, 12.5.0-1.0.1.el10_0.1, 12.5.0-1.0.1.el9_6.2, 13.0.0-150300.64.1, 13.0.0-150600.3.18.1, 13.0.0-4.89.1, 13.0.5-1.1, 13.0.5-150600.3.21.1, 13.0.5-160000.1.1, 13.0.5-4.92.1, 2:12.3.5-3~ubuntu0.22.04.3, 2:12.5.0-1~ubuntu0.24.04.2, 2:12.5.0-1ubuntu0.2
open-vm-tools-sdmp
12.3.0-1.amzn2.0.4, 12.3.0-1.amzn2023.0.5, 12.3.5-2.0.1.el8_10.1, 12.5.0-1.0.1.el10_0.1, 12.5.0-1.0.1.el9_6.2, 13.0.0-150300.64.1, 13.0.0-150600.3.18.1, 13.0.0-2.ph4, 13.0.0-2.ph5, 13.0.0-4.89.1, 13.0.5-1.1, 13.0.5-150600.3.21.1, 13.0.5-160000.1.1, 13.0.5-4.92.1, 2:11.3.0-2ubuntu0~ubuntu20.04.8+esm1, 2:12.3.5-3~ubuntu0.22.04.3, 2:12.5.0-1~ubuntu0.24.04.2, 2:12.5.0-1ubuntu0.2
open-vm-tools-test
12.3.0-1.amzn2.0.4, 12.3.0-1.amzn2023.0.5, 12.5.0-1.0.1.el10_0.1, 12.5.0-1.0.1.el9_6.2
VCF operations
9.0.1.0
Aria Operations
8.18.5
Cloud Foundation
<=5.2.2, 8.18.5
Telco Cloud Infrastructure
<=3.0, 8.18.5
Telco Cloud Platform
5.0.1, 8.18.5
Tools
12.5.4, 13.0.5.0
Timeline
Publicly disclosed
Sep 29, 2025
Added to Industry KEV feed
Sep 29, 2025
Added to CISA KEV
Oct 30, 2025
Added to CIRCL KEV
Oct 30, 2025
Added to ENISA EUVD
Oct 30, 2025
Last updated
Aug 4, 2026
Weakness Type
- CWE-267 Privilege Defined With Unsafe Actions
- CWE-280 Improper Handling of Insufficient Permissions or Privileges
References
- advisoryRHSA-2025:17428
- advisoryRHSA-2025:17429
- advisoryRHSA-2025:17445
- advisoryRHSA-2025:17446
- advisoryRHSA-2025:17452
FAQ
Common Questions.
VMware Aria Operations and VMware Tools contain a local privilege escalation vulnerability.
Affected: Aria Operations (Vmware) versions >= 8.18.x; Cloud Foundation (Vmware) versions >= 5.x; Cloud Foundation Operations (Vmware) versions 9.0, among others. The full list is in the CVE brief.
It is exploited in the wild, listed in CISA KEV, Industry KEV feed, CIRCL KEV, ENISA EUVD since Sep 29, 2025.
Yes. It was added on Oct 30, 2025 with a federal remediation due date of Nov 20, 2025.
Public exploit code is available.
Fixed versions are available, including libvmtools-devel 13.0.0-150300.64.1, libvmtools-devel 13.0.0-150600.3.18.1, libvmtools-devel 13.0.5-1.1.
Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is listed as exploited in the wild.
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