CVE-2025-22226
VMware ESXi, Workstation, and Fusion Information Disclosure Vulnerability
Description
CVE-2025-22226 is a high-severity information disclosure vulnerability in VMware ESXi, Workstation, and Fusion caused by an out-of-bounds read in the HGFS (Host-Guest File System) component. A malicious actor with administrative privileges on a virtual machine can exploit this flaw to leak sensitive memory from the VMX process running on the host. Rated with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1, the vulnerability has been added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog with a remediation deadline of March 25, 2025. The EPSS score of 6.70% at the 91st percentile confirms significant exploitation probability, and the ransomware association is currently listed as unknown.
KEV Information
CVSS Score
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:NOpen in CalculatorAffected Products
| Vendor | Product | Version |
|---|---|---|
| vmware | esxi | 7.0; 8.0 |
| vmware | cloud foundation | - |
| vmware | fusion | >= 13.0.0, < 13.6.3 |
| vmware | telco cloud infrastructure | 2.2; 2.5; 2.7; 3.0 |
| vmware | telco cloud platform | 2.0; 2.5; 2.7; 3.0; 4.0; 4.0.1; 5.0 |
| vmware | workstation | >= 17.0, < 17.6.3 |
Multiple CVSS Assessments
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
References
Weakness Type
Out-of-Bounds Read
CVE-2025-22226 is caused by an out-of-bounds read condition in the HGFS subsystem of VMware's virtualization products. An out-of-bounds read occurs when software reads data past the end or before the beginning of an intended buffer, potentially exposing sensitive information stored in adjacent memory regions. In this case, the HGFS component fails to properly validate memory boundaries when processing file system operations between the guest and host, allowing a privileged attacker within a virtual machine to read memory contents from the VMX process on the hypervisor host.
Learn more: CWE-125 — Out-of-bounds Read
Impact Analysis
CVE-2025-22226 presents a serious risk to virtualized environments running VMware ESXi, Workstation, or Fusion. The vulnerability requires local access (AV:L) with low attack complexity (AC:L) and no privileges or user interaction within the VM context (PR:N/UI:N), though it does require administrative access to the virtual machine itself. Confidentiality (High): The out-of-bounds read enables leaking sensitive memory from the VMX process, which may contain cryptographic keys, configuration data, credentials, and memory contents from other virtual machines sharing the same host. The scope is changed (S:C), meaning the vulnerability in the guest VM impacts the host system's confidentiality beyond the vulnerable component's security boundary. Integrity and Availability: While the vulnerability itself does not directly enable write operations or denial of service, the leaked information could be leveraged as part of a broader attack chain — particularly when combined with CVE-2025-22224 and CVE-2025-22225, which were disclosed simultaneously and enable code execution and sandbox escape on the same VMware products. With an EPSS score of 6.70% and active exploitation confirmed by CISA, this vulnerability demands immediate attention from organizations relying on VMware virtualization infrastructure.
Exploit Maturity
CVE-2025-22226 demonstrates confirmed active exploitation in the wild. CISA has added this vulnerability to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, mandating remediation by March 25, 2025. The vulnerability was disclosed alongside CVE-2025-22224 and CVE-2025-22225, forming a chain of VMware vulnerabilities that together enable a full virtual machine escape scenario — from guest-level code execution to hypervisor-level compromise. The EPSS score of 6.70% at the 91st percentile indicates substantially elevated exploitation probability compared to the average vulnerability. While the ransomware association is currently listed as unknown, the strategic value of hypervisor-level memory disclosure in multi-tenant cloud environments makes this vulnerability highly attractive to advanced threat actors. Broadcom has published a security advisory detailing the affected products and available patches.
Remediation
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Apply vendor patches immediately. Broadcom has released patches addressing CVE-2025-22226. Update VMware Workstation to version 17.6.3 or later and VMware Fusion to version 13.6.3 or later. For ESXi 7.0 and 8.0, apply the latest security patches available through Broadcom's support portal as referenced in VMSA-2025-0004.
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Prioritize VMware Cloud Foundation environments. Cloud Foundation deployments that bundle ESXi should apply the corresponding async patches. Telco Cloud Infrastructure and Platform deployments across versions 2.2 through 5.0 must also be updated according to Broadcom's remediation guidance.
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Restrict virtual machine administrative access. Limit which users and roles have administrative privileges within virtual machines, as exploitation requires VM-level administrative access. Implement role-based access controls and audit VM administrative accounts.
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Monitor for exploitation indicators. Review VMX process logs and hypervisor event logs for anomalous HGFS activity or unexpected memory access patterns. Deploy network segmentation between management interfaces and untrusted VM networks to limit lateral movement.
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Address the full vulnerability chain. CVE-2025-22226 was disclosed alongside CVE-2025-22224 and CVE-2025-22225. All three vulnerabilities should be patched simultaneously, as they form a chain enabling complete virtual machine escape from information disclosure through arbitrary write to sandbox escape.
Technical Details
CVE-2025-22226 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the HGFS (Host-Guest File System) component of VMware ESXi, Workstation, and Fusion. The CVSS v3.1 vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N reflects that the vulnerability requires local access but no privileges or user interaction relative to the vulnerable component, with changed scope indicating cross-boundary impact. The attack targets the VMX process, which is the user-space component that manages virtual machine execution on the hypervisor. HGFS provides shared folder functionality between the host and guest operating systems, and the vulnerability occurs when the HGFS subsystem reads beyond the boundaries of an allocated buffer while processing file system requests from the virtual machine. This out-of-bounds read allows the attacker to extract memory contents from the VMX process address space, which runs with elevated privileges on the host system. The leaked memory may include sensitive data such as encryption keys, virtual machine configuration parameters, and memory fragments from other VMs. The confidentiality impact is rated high because the VMX process has access to critical host-level resources, while integrity and availability remain unaffected as the vulnerability only enables information disclosure without write capabilities or service disruption.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2025-22226 being actively exploited?
Yes. CISA has confirmed active exploitation by adding CVE-2025-22226 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog with a remediation deadline of March 25, 2025. The vulnerability was disclosed alongside two related VMware flaws (CVE-2025-22224 and CVE-2025-22225) that together enable a complete VM escape chain.
What products are affected by CVE-2025-22226?
CVE-2025-22226 affects VMware ESXi versions 7.0 and 8.0, VMware Workstation versions 17.0 through 17.6.2, VMware Fusion versions 13.0.0 through 13.6.2, VMware Cloud Foundation, and VMware Telco Cloud Infrastructure and Platform across multiple versions. All affected products share the vulnerable HGFS component.
How do I fix CVE-2025-22226?
Apply the patches released by Broadcom as documented in security advisory VMSA-2025-0004. Update Workstation to 17.6.3+, Fusion to 13.6.3+, and apply the latest ESXi security patches for versions 7.0 and 8.0. Cloud Foundation and Telco Cloud deployments require corresponding async patches.
Can CVE-2025-22226 be used for ransomware attacks?
The ransomware association is currently listed as unknown by CISA. While the information disclosure vulnerability alone does not enable direct ransomware deployment, the leaked memory contents could facilitate further attacks. When combined with CVE-2025-22224 and CVE-2025-22225, the chain enables full hypervisor compromise, which could potentially be leveraged for ransomware deployment across all hosted virtual machines.
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