CVE-2025-22224
VMware ESXi and Workstation TOCTOU Race Condition Vulnerability
VMware ESXi and Workstation
VMware ESXi, and Workstation contain a TOCTOU (Time-of-Check Time-of-Use) vulnerability that leads to an out-of-bounds write. A malicious actor with local administrative privileges on a virtual machine may exploit this issue to execute code as the virtual machine's VMX process running on the host.
Exploitation status
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
Listed by CISA on 4 March 2025. US federal agencies were required to remediate it by 25 March 2025.
EPSS — exploitation probability
FIRST puts the probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days at 1.6%, which is higher than 75.4% of all scored vulnerabilities. EPSS is a forecast of activity, not a measure of severity, and it is rescored daily.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Frequently asked questions
Is CVE-2025-22224 being exploited by ransomware groups?
No ransomware group in this database is currently recorded as exploiting CVE-2025-22224.
What does CVE-2025-22224 affect?
CVE-2025-22224 affects VMware ESXi and Workstation. VMware ESXi, and Workstation contain a TOCTOU (Time-of-Check Time-of-Use) vulnerability that leads to an out-of-bounds write. A malicious actor with local administrative privileges on a virtual machine may exploit this issue to execute code as the virtual machine's VMX process running on the host.
How severe is CVE-2025-22224?
CVE-2025-22224 is rated CRITICAL with a CVSS base score of 9.3. EPSS puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.6%, higher than 75.4% of all scored vulnerabilities. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, with a federal remediation deadline of 25 March 2025.
How should organisations respond to CVE-2025-22224?
Apply the vendor patch for VMware ESXi and Workstation as the first priority, and treat any internet-facing instance as the most urgent. Because this vulnerability is associated with ransomware activity, also review whether the affected systems were reachable before patching, rather than assuming that patching alone closes the incident.