VMware Tools

CVE-2023-20867: VMware Tools Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

Is it exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 23 Jun 2023, 10 days after the CVE record was published.

How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?

13.6%

EPSS score, percentile 96.5 of all scored records

How severe?

3.9 Low

CVSS v3.1 base score, given by the CNA

What should I do?

CISA deadline 14 Jul 2023. Apply updates per vendor instructions.

The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.

Which versions are affected?

Unaffected 12.2.5

Versions by product

Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

What to do

Required action, set by CISA

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

CISA due date for this action: 14 July 2023.

Advisories and patches

The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.

Linked from CISA's catalog entry

Affected products and versions

As listed in the CVE record.

VMware VMware Tools
Status	Versions
Unaffected	12.2.5

Versions not listed are: unaffected.

Versions the record lists as unaffected: 12.2.5.

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

About this vulnerability

VMware Tools contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in the vgauth module. A fully compromised ESXi host can force VMware Tools to fail to authenticate host-to-guest operations, impacting the confidentiality and integrity of the guest virtual machine. An attacker must have root access over ESXi to exploit this vulnerability.

Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.

CISA added CVE-2023-20867 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 23 Jun 2023.
CISA's ransomware flag for this entry is "Unknown": no evidence of ransomware use in the catalog, which is not proof of none.
The due date CISA sets for the required action is 14 Jul 2023.
The CVE record was published on 13 Jun 2023, 10 days before it was added to KEV.
The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 3.9 (Low), given by its CNA.
FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 13.6% (percentile 96.5), as of 28 Oct 2026.
CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact partial.

Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

Description

VMware Tools Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

A fully compromised ESXi host can force VMware Tools to fail to authenticate host-to-guest operations, impacting the confidentiality and integrity of the guest virtual machine.

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

Weakness

CWE-287: Improper Authentication

Attack patterns (CAPEC)

CAPEC-115: Authentication Bypass

CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.

Timeline

Date	Event
13 Jun 2023	CVE record published
23 Jun 2023	Added to CISA KEV
14 Jul 2023	CISA due date for the required action
21 Oct 2025	CVE record last updated

References

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