Known exploited · Broadcom
CVE-2025-41244: Broadcom VMware Aria Operations and VMware Tools Privilege Defined with Unsafe Actions Vulnerability
What it is
Broadcom VMware Aria Operations and VMware Tools contain a privilege defined with unsafe actions vulnerability. A malicious local actor with non-administrative privileges having access to a VM with VMware Tools installed and managed by Aria Operations with SDMP enabled may exploit this vulnerability to escalate privileges to root on the same VM.
- Vendor
- Broadcom
- Product
- VMware Aria Operations and VMware Tools
- Added to KEV
- October 30, 2025
- CISA due date
- November 20, 2025
- Ransomware use
- Unknown
What CISA requires
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Forensic triage
No
What to do now
- Find every instance of VMware Aria Operations and VMware Tools you run, including the forgotten ones, and check its version against the vendor advisory.
- Apply the vendor's fix or mitigation, before November 20, 2025 if you are bound by CISA's deadline, sooner if it faces the internet.
- Assume it was tried against you already: look for signs of exploitation from the date it was added, not from the day you patched.
References
H2 Security
Not sure you are clear?
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Start freeSource: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog (public domain), catalog version 2026.10.01.