CVE-2022-22948
MEDIUMCVE-2022-22948 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.5) Incorrect Default Permissions vulnerability in vmware cloud foundation. It is in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2024-07-17) — treat it as actively exploited and patch now. O3 Security detects and blocks CVE-2022-22948 exploitation at runtime via eBPF exploit-chain detection and L7 egress monitoring, even on unpatched systems.
The vCenter Server contains an information disclosure vulnerability due to improper permission of files. A malicious actor with non-administrative access to the vCenter Server may exploit…
Exploitation Status
Actively exploited in the wild
- Confirmed by CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2024-07-17. Federal agencies were required to remediate by 2024-08-07.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA (KEV catalog and SSVC triage) for CVE-2022-22948.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2022-22948 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 0 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 10–50% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Description
The vCenter Server contains an information disclosure vulnerability due to improper permission of files. A malicious actor with non-administrative access to the vCenter Server may exploit this issue to gain access to sensitive information.
Affected Products
cloud foundationvmwarevcenter servervmwareResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
The vCenter Server contains an information disclosure vulnerability due …
The vCenter Server contains an information disclosure vulnerability due …
The vCenter Server contains an information disclosure vulnerability due …
The vCenter Server contains an information disclosure vulnerability due …
The vCenter Server contains an information disclosure vulnerability due …
Detection & mitigation playbook
Vendor / applianceDetect
Inventory every vmware cloud foundation deployment and check each version against the affected-products list above. Because the exploit targets the running system rather than your application code, also watch for exploitation at the network and runtime layer — O3 flags the exploit behaviour from runtime telemetry and egress traffic even before a vulnerable build is confirmed.
Remediation status
No patch has shipped for CVE-2022-22948 yet — track the vmware cloud foundation advisory for a fixed release and apply the workarounds below in the meantime.
Mitigate without a patch
Cut exposure now: restrict the management/admin interface to trusted networks, segment the device, and apply the vendor's recommended configuration mitigations and any WAF/IPS signature. O3's runtime protection blocks the exploit chain at execution, holding the line on unpatched or end-of-life systems until you can patch.
How O3 protects you
O3 detects and blocks CVE-2022-22948 exploitation at runtime: eBPF exploit-chain detection, plus L7 egress monitoring that catches the post-exploitation callback and severs the attacker's outbound channel.
Tailored to CVE-2022-22948. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2022-22948 being exploited in your environment?
O3's eBPF runtime sensors and L7 egress monitoring detect and block the CVE-2022-22948 exploit chain at execution — protecting unpatched and end-of-life systems until the vendor patch is applied.