A high-severity vulnerability, CVE-2022-31676, has been identified in VMware Tools, affecting versions 12.0.0, 11.x.y, and 10.x.y. This local privilege escalation vulnerability allows a malicious actor with non-administrative access to the guest operating system to escalate their privileges as a root user in the virtual machine.

How do I know if I'm affected?

If you're using VMware Tools versions 12.0.0, 11.x.y, or 10.x.y on Microsoft Windows or Linux operating systems, including specific versions of Debian Linux and Fedora Linux, you may be affected by the vulnerability. This issue allows a malicious actor with non-administrative access to the guest operating system to escalate their privileges as a root user in the virtual machine. To determine if you're affected, check your VMware Tools version and the operating system it's running on. If you notice unauthorized privilege escalation in your virtual machine, it could be a sign of this vulnerability.

What should I do if I'm affected?

If you're affected by the vulnerability, it's important to take action to secure your system. First, identify the affected VMware Tools version and operating system. Then, apply the appropriate patches or updates for your system. For example, Debian users should upgrade their open-vm-tools packages, while Fedora users can use the "dnf" update program. Always follow the specific instructions provided by your software vendor or operating system to ensure a successful update.

Is this in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog?

The CVE-2022-31676 vulnerability is not listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, according to the information available. This high-severity vulnerability, also known as a local privilege escalation vulnerability, affects VMware Tools and allows a malicious actor with non-administrative access to the guest operating system to escalate their privileges as a root user in the virtual machine.

Weakness enumeration

The weakness enumeration for this vulnerability is categorized as CWE-269, also known as a local privilege escalation issue, is related to improper privilege management in VMware Tools. Applying patches and updates can help address this problem.

For more details

CVE-2022-31676 is a high-severity local privilege escalation vulnerability affecting VMware Tools. By updating to the fixed versions of the software, users can mitigate the risk associated with this vulnerability. For a comprehensive understanding of the vulnerability, including its description, severity, technical details, and affected software configurations, visit the NVD page or the links below.

• oss-security - Open-vm-tools Security Advisory

• Debian Security Update for Open-vm-tools

• VMware Security Advisory VMSA-2022-0024

• Fedora 37 Update for Open-vm-tools