CVE-2025-22225: VMware ESXi Arbitrary Write Vulnerability
- Is it exploited?
Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 4 Mar 2025, the same day the CVE record was published.
- How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?
- 1%
EPSS score, percentile 63.2 of all scored records
- How severe?
- 8.2 High
CVSS v3.1 base score, given by the CNA
- What should I do?
Required action (CISA), due 25 Mar 2025: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
- Which versions are affected?
Affected: 8.0 up to, not including, ESXi80U3d-24585383; 8.0 up to, not including, ESXi80U2d-24585300; 7.0 up to, not including, ESXi70U3s-24585291; 5.x, 4.5.x; 5.x, 4.x, 3.x, 2.x; 3.x, 2.x
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 mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
CISA due date for this action: 25 March 2025.
Advisories and patches
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
Linked from CISA's catalog entry
- https://support.broadcom.com/web/ecx/support-content-notification/-/external/content/SecurityAdvisories/0/25390
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-22225
Affected products and versions
As listed in the CVE record.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | 8.0 up to, not including, ESXi80U3d-24585383 |
| Affected | 8.0 up to, not including, ESXi80U2d-24585300 |
| Affected | 7.0 up to, not including, ESXi70U3s-24585291 |
Versions not listed are: unaffected.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | 5.x, 4.5.x |
Versions not listed are: unaffected.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | 5.x, 4.x, 3.x, 2.x |
Versions not listed are: unaffected.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | 3.x, 2.x |
Versions not listed are: unaffected.
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
About this vulnerability
VMware ESXi contains an arbitrary write vulnerability. Successful exploitation allows an attacker with privileges within the VMX process to trigger an arbitrary kernel write leading to an escape of the sandbox.
Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA added CVE-2025-22225 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 4 Mar 2025.
- CISA marks it as known to be used in ransomware campaigns.
- The due date CISA sets for the required action is 25 Mar 2025.
- The CVE record was published on 4 Mar 2025, the same day it was added to KEV.
- The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.2 (High), given by its CNA.
- FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1% (percentile 63.2), as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact total.
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 ESXi contains an arbitrary write vulnerability. A malicious actor with privileges within the VMX process may trigger an arbitrary kernel write leading to an escape of the sandbox.
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Weakness
- CWE-123: Write-what-where Condition
CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 4 Mar 2025 | CVE record published |
| 4 Mar 2025 | Added to CISA KEV |
| 25 Mar 2025 | CISA due date for the required action |
| 4 Aug 2026 | CVE record last updated |
References
More exploited VMware vulnerabilities
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