CVE-2023-20867: VMware Tools Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
An authority record changed. This is a change in what is asserted about exploitation, not in how the vulnerability is described.
CVE record, CISA KEV and EPSS as of 2026-10-18.
CVEs like this one computed, by meaning
What to do now held facts and links
- CISA requires: Apply updates per vendor instructions. The federal deadline has passed: overdue since 2023-07-14. CISA KEVCISA's notes for this entry: vmware.com
- Upgrade to 12.2.5 or later CVE record
- Record your decision, dated and frozen with today's evidence: patch by a date · mitigated by a compensating control · deferred · accepted the risk · not affected
- Check your version against the ranges this record publishes.
What it is stated by the CNA
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.
- weakness
- CWE-287 Improper Authentication
- affected
- VMware Tools
- published ranges
- vmware tools >= 10.3.0 < 12.2.5; debian linux 10.0; debian linux 11.0; debian linux 12.0; and 3 more on the CVE page
- fixed in
- 12.2.5
- severity
- 3.9 CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
- assigned by
- vmware
- published
- 2023-06-13
check us vmware.com security.netapp.com lists.debian.org debian.org
Authority held, dated
- CISA KEV
- listed
- added
- 2023-06-23
- remediation due
- 2023-07-14
- ransomware use
- unknown
- remediation status
- overdue since 2023-07-14
- exploit code
- None held in the PoC-in-GitHub feed. A public repository changes this brief.
A KEV listing is an assertion of observed exploitation. It is the only element on this page that makes that claim.
What moved held, dated
| date | EPSS | event |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Jun 2023 | 0.00043 | |
| 17 Jun 2023 | 0.00042 | |
| 24 Jun 2023 | 0.009 | |
| 8 Jul 2023 | 0.00823 | |
| 17 Mar 2025 | 0.00528 | scoring model v2025.03.14 |
| 5 Jun 2026 | 0.0219 | |
| 14 Jun 2026 | 0.01444 | |
| 15 Jun 2026 | 0.13638 | crossed 0.10 · scoring model v2026.06.15 |
| 19 Jul 2026 | 0.1353 |
65 observations held. A step marked with a scoring model moved because the measurement was replaced, not because the vulnerability changed.
Outside the record researched, cited
This section reads the record's references and adds cited findings from outside it. It needs an account. Everything above is held facts and is complete without it.
What would change this brief held, dated
- CISA KEV
- Listed, added 2023-06-23. Due 2023-07-14. A changed deadline or a change in ransomware use changes this brief.
- exploit probability
- 0.14 on 2026-07-19 (FIRST's EPSS, a probability and not evidence of exploitation). Next band line: 50% (0.50). Crossing a line changes this brief.
- fix
- Held: 12.2.5. A newer fix from the CNA or OSV changes this brief.
How to check this
Every value above is held with two dates: when it was true upstream (as_of) and when we recorded it (tx_from). Re-derive the exploit probability as it stood on any date:
SELECT value, source, source_version, as_of, tx_from
FROM volatile_valid_as_of('CVE-2023-20867', '2026-10-29T23:59:59.999999Z', now());