CVE-2023-20867

VMware Tools Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

Low 3.9
Exploited: added to CISA KEV 23 Jun 2023

Description

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.

Key facts

Published: 13 Jun 2023
Last changed: 21 Oct 2025
Assigned by: vmware
KEV added: 23 Jun 2023
KEV fix due: 14 Jul 2023
EPSS: 13.638% likely to be exploited in the next 30 days, higher than 96.539% of CVEs (scores for 15 Nov 2026)
SSVC (CISA): Exploitation: active; Automatable: no; Technical impact: partial

Severity scores

Each score is shown as its source gave it. They are not averaged or merged.

3.9CVSS 3.1, Lowfrom the CNA (vmware)CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

What to do

Apply updates per vendor instructions.CISA KEV required action

Historical context and remediation

This reference retains the original CVE publication date. A recent record update does not mean a new attack occurred.

CAPEC-115 Authentication Bypass (CNA impact statement)

Version statuses below come from the CNA. An “unaffected” version is not necessarily a currently supported release or proof of a patch date. EPSS is a dated risk estimate, not a count of historical attacks.

Read the original CVE record.

Affected products

Vendor	Product	Versions
VMware	VMware Tools	Default status: unaffected 12.2.5 (unaffected)