CVE-2024-37085
VMware ESXi Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
- Medium 6.8
- Exploited: added to CISA KEV 30 Jul 2024
- Used in ransomware campaigns
Description
VMware ESXi contains an authentication bypass vulnerability. A malicious actor with sufficient Active Directory (AD) permissions can gain full access to an ESXi host that was previously configured to use AD for user management https://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/09/joining-vsphere-hosts-to-active-directory.html by re-creating the configured AD group ('ESXi Admins' by default) after it was deleted from AD.
Key facts
- Published
- 25 Jun 2024
- Last changed
- 21 Oct 2025
- Assigned by
- vmware
- KEV added
- 30 Jul 2024
- KEV fix due
- 20 Aug 2024
- Used in ransomware
- Yes, according to CISA
- EPSS
- 26.77% likely to be exploited in the next 30 days, higher than 98.059% of CVEs (scores for 15 Nov 2026)
- SSVC (CISA)
- Exploitation: active; Automatable: no; Technical impact: total
Severity scores
Each score is shown as its source gave it. They are not averaged or merged.
- 6.8CVSS 3.1, Mediumfrom the CNA (vmware)
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
What to do
- Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.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.
No separately sourced impact summary is available on this page yet. Consult the description, version data and dated exploitation evidence.
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.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| n/a | VMware ESXi |
|
| n/a | VMware Cloud Foundation |
|
Timeline
- 25 Jun 2024 Published
- 30 Jul 2024 CVE-2024-37085 added to CISA KEV
- 30 Jul 2024 Added to the CISA KEV catalogue