CVEs / CVE-2025-22225
CVE-2025-22225: VMware ESXi Arbitrary Write Vulnerability
- Known exploited in the CISA KEV catalog since 4 Mar 2025
- high 8.2 CVSS 3.1 (NVD)
- EPSS 1.01% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 63% of CVEs (30 Oct 2026)
- Last changed at its sources
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Summary
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.
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.
Affected and fixed versions
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| n/a VMware ESXi | from 8.0, before ESXi80U3d-24585383 | ESXi80U3d-24585383 |
| n/a VMware ESXi | from 8.0, before ESXi80U2d-24585300 | ESXi80U2d-24585300 |
| n/a VMware ESXi | from 7.0, before ESXi70U3s-24585291 | ESXi70U3s-24585291 |
| n/a VMware Cloud Foundation | 5.x, 4.5.x | — |
| n/a VMware Telco Cloud Platform | 5.x, 4.x, 3.x, 2.x | — |
| n/a VMware Telco Cloud Infrastructure | 3.x, 2.x | — |
Exploitation
| In CISA KEV since | 4 Mar 2025 |
|---|---|
| Due date for US federal agencies | 25 Mar 2025 |
| Used in ransomware campaigns | Known |
| Required action | Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. |
Severity
| CVSS 3.1 | 8.2 highCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HScored by NVD |
|---|---|
| Weakness | CWE-787, CWE-123 |
References
- CVE-2025-22225 on NVD
- CVE-2025-22225 in the CISA KEV catalog
- https://support.broadcom.com/web/ecx/support-content-notification/-/external/content/SecurityAdvisories/0/25390 (cited by CISA)
- https://support.broadcom.com/web/ecx/support-content-notification/-/external/content/SecurityAdvisories/0/25390 Vendor Advisory
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2025-22225 US Government Resource
Sources
Exploitation status from the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. EPSS scores from FIRST. Descriptions, severity and references from the National Vulnerability Database. Open-source package versions from OSV (CC-BY 4.0). Text is shown as each source states it; Stackurity does not edit it. Check the vendor's advisory before acting.
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.