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CVE-2023-20867 · CVE record: PUBLISHED

VMware Tools Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

VMware VMware Tools

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.

Exploitation evidence

Known exploited · CISA KEV listed

Added 2023-06-23. Ransomware campaign use: Unknown.

CISA required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

CISA due date: 2023-07-14. This is the catalog’s deadline, not an assessment of your organization’s exposure.

KEV checked 13 Nov 2026, 00:20 Jerusalem · Original catalog ↗

Reported products and versions

VMware / VMware Tools

Default status: unaffected

unaffected: 12.2.5

Fixes and workarounds

No explicit solution text in the downloaded CVE record. Consult the vendor advisory; unaffected version ranges are shown above as reported, not inferred as a patch recommendation.

Sources and related reporting

CVE Program record ↗ · Download tracked evidence as JSON

Observed change timeline

History begins when Egret first downloads each source. It is not the complete upstream CVE history.

12 Nov 2026, 18:20 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
  "date": "2026-11-12",
  "epss": 0.13638,
  "percentile": 0.96532
}

10 Nov 2026, 18:20 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
  "date": "2026-11-10",
  "epss": 0.13638,
  "percentile": 0.96511
}

09 Nov 2026, 18:20 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
  "date": "2026-11-09",
  "epss": 0.13638,
  "percentile": 0.96507
}

08 Nov 2026, 18:20 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
  "date": "2026-11-08",
  "epss": 0.13638,
  "percentile": 0.96506
}

07 Nov 2026, 18:20 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
  "date": "2026-11-07",
  "epss": 0.13638,
  "percentile": 0.96503
}

06 Nov 2026, 18:20 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
  "date": "2026-11-06",
  "epss": 0.13638,
  "percentile": 0.96499
}

06 Nov 2026, 06:20 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
  "date": "2026-11-05",
  "epss": 0.13638,
  "percentile": 0.96496
}

05 Nov 2026, 00:20 Jerusalem · CVE Program record changed

Stored CNA snapshot at this observation.

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04 Nov 2026, 18:20 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
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  "epss": 0.13638,
  "percentile": 0.96493
}

03 Nov 2026, 18:20 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
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  "epss": 0.13638,
  "percentile": 0.96486
}

03 Nov 2026, 02:22 Jerusalem · EPSS observation updated

Stored EPSS snapshot at this observation.

{
  "date": "2026-11-02",
  "epss": 0.13638,
  "percentile": 0.96482
}

03 Nov 2026, 02:22 Jerusalem · CISA KEV status changed

Stored KEV snapshot at this observation.

{
  "cveID": "CVE-2023-20867",
  "cwes": [
    "CWE-287"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2023-06-23",
  "dueDate": "2023-07-14",
  "forensicTriage": "No",
  "knownRansomwareCampaignUse": "Unknown",
  "notes": "https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2023-0013.html;  https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-20867",
  "product": "Tools",
  "requiredAction": "Apply updates per vendor instructions.",
  "shortDescription": "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.",
  "vendorProject": "VMware",
  "vulnerabilityName": "VMware Tools Authentication Bypass Vulnerability"
}

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