VMware vCenter Server Remote Privilege Escalation to Root Vulnerability (CVE-2024-38813) Security Advisory
Executive & SecOps Summary
SECOPS ASSESSMENTVMware vCenter Server 7.0 and 8.0 families, VMware Cloud Foundation 4.x and 5.x families
An unauthenticated attacker with network access can escalate privileges to root by sending a specially crafted network packet
Immediately upgrade to the patched versions (vCenter 8.0 U3b or later, 7.0 U3t or later) as recommended by Broadcom
Affected Products & Version Scope
Remediation & Live Workaround Commands
PATCH & WORKAROUND1. Official Patch & Version Upgrade Commands
Apply the official security patches provided by Broadcom immediately. You can perform the update via the vCenter Server Appliance Management Interface (VAMI) on port 5480 or via the appliance shell using the following commands:
# Access the vCenter Appliance Shell and check for ISO-based updates
software-packages utility --iso --check
# Install the updates and accept the EULA
software-packages utility --iso --install --acceptEula2. Temporary Workaround & Hardening Configuration
If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict network access to the vCenter Server management interfaces. Implement strict firewall rules to allow access only from trusted administrative subnets.
# Restrict access to port 443 to a trusted admin subnet (e.g., 10.0.0.0/24) and drop other traffic
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp -s 10.0.0.0/24 --dport 443 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j DROP
# Save the iptables configuration
service iptables save3. Log Audit & IoC Verification Commands
Verify the current running version of vCenter Server and inspect system logs for any suspicious privilege escalation attempts or unauthorized connections.
# Retrieve the current vCenter Server version and build details
com.vmware.appliance.version1.system.version.get
# Audit authentication logs for unauthorized root access or suspicious sessions
grep -i 'session' /var/log/vmware/sso/ssoAdminServer.log | grep -E 'failed|invalid'
grep -i 'accepted' /var/log/auth.log | grep 'root'Stop Exposing VPN Ports to the Internet — Switch to Zero-Trust Access
Eliminate public-facing VPN concentrators and firewall management ports with identity-first Zero-Trust Network Access.
Technical Root Cause & Exploitation Mechanics
1. Vulnerability Overview & Root Cause
This vulnerability (CVE-2024-38813) is a critical privilege escalation flaw in VMware vCenter Server due to improper privilege management (CWE-250, CWE-273). The root cause lies in how certain internal network services parse and handle incoming network packets. Due to a lack of proper input validation and privilege separation, a malicious payload can trigger an execution context escape, allowing the process to run with elevated privileges.
2. Exploitation Mechanics & Attack Scenario
An attacker with network line-of-sight to the vCenter Server sends a specially crafted network packet to the target port (e.g., port 443/TCP). The vulnerable daemon processes this packet, triggering memory corruption or an unexpected control flow redirection. This allows the attacker to execute commands with root privileges without requiring any prior authentication or user interaction.
3. Infrastructure & Business Impact
vCenter Server acts as the centralized management plane for entire virtualized environments, including ESXi hosts, virtual machines, and storage networks. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability grants the attacker full root-level control over the vCenter Server. This can lead to complete infrastructure compromise, unauthorized virtual machine access, data exfiltration, ransomware deployment, and severe business disruption. Given its inclusion in the CISA KEV catalog, active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed.
Official Vendor Advisories & References
The vCenter Server contains a privilege escalation vulnerability. A malicious actor with network access to vCenter Server may trigger this vulnerability to escalate privileges to root by sending a specially crafted network packet.
Frequently Asked SecOps Questions (CVE-2024-38813)
FAQQ1. How critical is CVE-2024-38813 and is it actively exploited in the wild?
CVE-2024-38813 is rated CVSS 9.8 (CRITICAL) with a 30-day EPSS exploitation probability of 17.4%. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, requiring immediate emergency remediation.
Q2. Which vendors and products are affected by CVE-2024-38813?
Primary impacted vendors include vmware, broadcom across vcenter server, cloud foundation. Scope summary: VMware vCenter Server 8.0 (prior to 8.0 U3b), vCenter Server 7.0 (prior to 7.0 U3t), and VMware Cloud Foundation 5.x/4.x
Q3. What temporary mitigations or workarounds exist for CVE-2024-38813 before patching?
[Mitigation] Immediately upgrade to the patched versions (vCenter 8.0 U3b or later, 7.0 U3t or later) as recommended by Broadcom Follow the CLI remediation commands and interactive SecOps checklist on this page to restrict exposure prior to your maintenance window.
Generate an Internal Engineering Notice or CISO Report for CVE-2024-38813
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