CVE-2022-22960
CVE-2022-22960 is a security flaw in VMware products, VMware’s software for running virtual machines in data centres. Someone who already has a foothold can use VMware products to take full control of the machine. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 15 Apr 2022.[1]
VMware products is business software or equipment. Most families won’t have it, but attackers break into it to get inside companies, and from there to what those companies hold about their customers, patients and staff. VMware has published a fix or advice.
Description
CISA calls it a privilege escalation in VMware Multiple Products. In its words: “VMware Workspace ONE Access, Identity Manager and vRealize Automation contain a privilege escalation vulnerability due to improper permissions in support scripts.”[1]
The CVE record adds: “VMware Workspace ONE Access, Identity Manager and vRealize Automation contain a privilege escalation vulnerability due to improper permissions in support scripts. A malicious actor with local access can escalate privileges to 'root'.”[2]
The underlying weakness is CWE-250, in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.
It scores 7.8 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it high, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it; VMware’s advisory has them[3]. CISA names the product as VMware Multiple Products.
Most families won’t have VMware products; it’s for whoever looks after IT at work.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 15 Apr 2022, 2 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 6 May 2022 to fix it.[1]
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 36%. That’s in the top 2% of the flaws it scores.[4]
CISA assesses it as not automatable: each attack takes some work.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
VMware has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]
- Check whether you use it.VMware products is business software or equipment, so most families won’t have it. If you run a business, or work from home on company equipment, ask whoever looks after your IT.
- Send this page to your IT person.Ask them to confirm it’s fixed, or not in use. CISA gave US government agencies until 6 May 2022 to fix it.
- If it can’t be fixed, take it offline.CISA’s advice when there’s no fix is to stop using the product, or take it off the internet, until there is one.
You can’t fix someone else’s server, but you can watch for what follows a break-in like this: a breach notice, a password reset you didn’t ask for, or a scam message that knows things it shouldn’t. HARD watches for those for you and your family.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 7.8.[2] | |
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 36%.[4] |
See also
Other VMware products flaws
- CVE-2020-4006: multiple VMware products command injection ·
- CVE-2020-3950: privilege escalation ·
Other VMware flaws
- CVE-2025-22226, VMware ESXi, Workstation, and Fusion: information disclosure ·
- CVE-2025-22225, VMware ESXi: arbitrary write ·
- CVE-2025-22224, VMware ESXi and Workstation: TOCTOU race condition ·
- CVE-2024-38813, VMware vCenter Server: privilege escalation ·
- CVE-2024-38812, VMware vCenter Server: heap-based buffer overflow ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2022-1364, Chrome and other Chromium browsers: type confusion ·
- CVE-2019-3929, Crestron products: command injection ·
- CVE-2019-16057, D-Link DNS-320 Storage Device: DNS-320 remote code execution ·
- CVE-2018-7841, Schneider Electric U.motion Builder: SQL injection ·
- CVE-2016-4523, Trihedral VTScada (formerly VTS): denial-of-service ·
Every VMware flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in April 2022
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “VMware Multiple Products Privilege Escalation Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 15 Apr 2022.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2022-22960 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 13 Apr 2022.
- ^ VMware. Advisories and fixes: vmware.com.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.355, percentile 98.5, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2022-22960”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.