The article highlights an actively exploited high-severity vulnerability (**CVE-2025-41244**) in **Broadcom’s VMware Aria Operations and VMware Tools**, allowing local attackers with non-administrative VM access to escalate privileges to **root**. Exploited since **October 2024** by **UNC5174**, a Chinese state-sponsored threat actor linked to China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), the flaw enables attackers to execute arbitrary code at the highest privilege level. The actor has historically targeted **U.S. defense contractors, UK government entities, and Asian institutions**, selling network access post-compromise. CISA mandated federal agencies patch within **three weeks** (by **November 20, 2025**) under **BOD 22-01**, warning of **significant risks to federal enterprise** if left unpatched. While no direct data breach or financial loss is reported, the vulnerability’s exploitation could lead to **full system compromise**, enabling lateral movement, data exfiltration, or deployment of further malware (e.g., ransomware). Given the actor’s ties to **state-sponsored espionage**, the risk extends to **intellectual property theft, supply chain attacks, or disruption of critical operations** in defense and government sectors.
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/vmware
"id": "vmw3002130103125",
"linkid": "vmware",
"type": "Vulnerability",
"date": "10/2024",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "3",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with internal employee data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Public Sector',
'location': 'United States',
'name': 'U.S. Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) '
'Agencies',
'type': 'Government'},
{'industry': 'Defense',
'location': 'United States',
'name': 'U.S. Defense Contractors',
'type': 'Private Sector'},
{'industry': 'Public Sector',
'location': 'United Kingdom',
'name': 'UK Government Entities',
'type': 'Government'},
{'location': 'Asia',
'name': 'Asian Institutions (unspecified)'}],
'attack_vector': ['Local Attack',
'Exploitation of Vulnerable Software (VMware Aria '
'Operations/Tools)',
'Credential-Based & Credential-Less Modes'],
'customer_advisories': ['Urgent patching recommendations for VMware Aria '
'Operations/Tools users'],
'date_detected': '2024-10-01T00:00:00Z',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2025-10-10T00:00:00Z',
'description': 'CISA warned U.S. government agencies about active '
'exploitation of CVE-2025-41244, a high-severity privilege '
"escalation vulnerability in Broadcom's VMware Aria Operations "
'and VMware Tools. The flaw, patched a month prior, allows '
'local attackers with non-administrative privileges to '
'escalate to root on a VM managed by Aria Operations with SDMP '
'enabled. The Chinese state-sponsored threat actor UNC5174 has '
'been exploiting this vulnerability since mid-October 2024, '
'targeting U.S. defense contractors, UK government entities, '
'and Asian institutions. CISA mandated federal agencies to '
'patch within three weeks (by November 20, 2025) under BOD '
'22-01.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': ['Potential reputational damage to U.S. '
'federal agencies and Broadcom/VMware'],
'legal_liabilities': ['Non-compliance with BOD 22-01 for unpatched '
'FCEB agencies'],
'operational_impact': ['Potential root-level code execution on '
'compromised VMs',
'Risk of lateral movement within federal '
'networks'],
'systems_affected': ['VMware Aria Operations (with SDMP enabled)',
'VMware Tools on vulnerable VMs']},
'initial_access_broker': {'data_sold_on_dark_web': ['Network access to '
'compromised entities '
'(per Mandiant 2023 '
'observations)'],
'entry_point': ['Exploitation of CVE-2025-41244 on '
'vulnerable VMware systems'],
'high_value_targets': ['U.S. defense contractors',
'UK government networks',
'Asian institutions'],
'reconnaissance_period': ['Since at least '
'mid-October 2024 (per '
'NVISO)']},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (active exploitation confirmed; patching '
'mandated)',
'lessons_learned': ['Critical importance of timely patching for known '
'exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs)',
'State-sponsored actors leverage privilege escalation '
'flaws for persistent access',
'Need for cross-sector collaboration (e.g., NVISO, '
'Mandiant, CISA) in threat intelligence sharing'],
'motivation': ['Espionage',
'Financial Gain (selling network access)',
'State-Sponsored Activities'],
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['Enforce BOD 22-01 '
'compliance for federal '
'agencies',
'Accelerate patch '
'deployment timelines for '
'critical infrastructure',
'Enhance detection '
'capabilities for privilege '
'escalation attempts',
'Conduct threat hunting for '
'UNC5174 indicators of '
'compromise (IOCs)'],
'root_causes': ['Delayed patching of known '
'critical vulnerability '
'(CVE-2025-41244)',
'Insufficient privilege separation '
'in VMware Tools/Aria Operations',
'State-sponsored actor (UNC5174) '
'leveraging zero-day exploitation '
'chain']},
'recommendations': ['Immediately apply patches for CVE-2025-41244 as per '
'vendor guidance',
'Prioritize vulnerability management for VMware products '
'in federal and private-sector environments',
'Monitor for signs of UNC5174 activity, including lateral '
'movement and data exfiltration',
'Review and update incident response plans for privilege '
'escalation scenarios',
'Consider network segmentation to limit impact of '
'compromised VMs'],
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2025-10-10',
'source': 'CISA Advisory on CVE-2025-41244',
'url': 'https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog'},
{'date_accessed': '2024-10-01',
'source': 'NVISO Research (Maxime Thiebaut) - Proof of '
'Concept'},
{'date_accessed': '2024-12-01',
'source': 'Google Mandiant - UNC5174 Threat Actor Profile'},
{'date_accessed': '2025-09-10',
'source': 'Broadcom Security Advisory for CVE-2025-41244'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulations_violated': ['Binding Operational '
'Directive (BOD) 22-01 (if '
'unpatched)'],
'regulatory_notifications': ["CISA's Known "
'Exploited '
'Vulnerabilities (KEV) '
'catalog inclusion']},
'response': {'communication_strategy': ['CISA advisory to federal agencies '
'and private sector',
"Broadcom's public disclosure of "
'exploitation'],
'containment_measures': ['Patch application (mandated within 3 '
'weeks for FCEB agencies)',
'Discontinuing use of vulnerable '
'products if patches unavailable'],
'enhanced_monitoring': ['Recommended for all organizations'],
'incident_response_plan_activated': ["CISA's Binding Operational "
'Directive (BOD) 22-01 '
'enforcement'],
'remediation_measures': ['Applying vendor-provided mitigations',
'Enhanced monitoring for exploitation '
'attempts'],
'third_party_assistance': ['Broadcom (VMware) security patches',
'NVISO (vulnerability research)',
'Google Mandiant (threat actor '
'analysis)']},
'stakeholder_advisories': ['CISA alert to FCEB agencies',
'Broadcom customer notifications'],
'threat_actor': ['UNC5174'],
'title': 'Exploitation of CVE-2025-41244 in VMware Aria Operations and VMware '
'Tools by UNC5174',
'type': ['Privilege Escalation', 'Exploitation of Known Vulnerability'],
'vulnerability_exploited': ['CVE-2025-41244']}