On March 4, 2025, Broadcom released a VMware Security Advisory (VMSA-2025-0004) addressing critical vulnerabilities discovered in VMware ESX. These vulnerabilities allow attackers to access the hypervisor from a compromised virtual machine, representing what security experts call a "VM Escape" attack.

At ENGINYRING, we consider this announcement to be of utmost importance for all clients using virtualized infrastructure based on VMware products. In this article, we present the essential details about these vulnerabilities and the steps you can take to protect yourself.

What Vulnerabilities Were Discovered?

The security bulletin identifies three distinct vulnerabilities:

  1. CVE-2025-22224 - CVSS severity score 9.3 (Critical)
  2. CVE-2025-22225 - CVSS severity score 8.2 (High)
  3. CVE-2025-22226 - CVSS severity score 7.1 (High)

These vulnerabilities allow an attacker who has already obtained privileged rights (administrator or root) in a guest operating system to "escape" from the virtual machine and gain access to the ESX hypervisor. This type of attack, known as a "VM Escape," is particularly dangerous because it compromises the fundamental separation between virtual machines and the underlying infrastructure.

Broadcom has confirmed that these vulnerabilities are actively exploited "in the wild", meaning attackers are already using them to compromise systems.

Who Is Affected?

All versions of the following products are affected, prior to the versions mentioned as "fixed" in the VMSA bulletin:

  • VMware ESX
  • VMware vSphere
  • VMware Cloud Foundation
  • VMware Telco Cloud Platform

Essentially, any virtualization environment based on VMware ESX technology is potentially vulnerable.

What Measures Should Be Taken?

Broadcom recommends immediate installation of the available security updates. In accordance with ITIL methodologies, this situation qualifies as an "emergency change" requiring prompt action.

Recommended steps include:

  1. Immediate updating of the ESX hypervisor to one of the fixed versions mentioned in the security bulletin.
  2. Restarting ESX servers after applying patches (this process requires temporarily shutting down virtual machines or migrating them using vMotion).
  3. Complete verification of the environment for possible signs of compromise.

Are There Alternative Solutions?

According to the official bulletin, there are no viable alternative solutions for these vulnerabilities. Updating the software is the only method of protection.

It's important to note that, although exploiting the vulnerability already requires administrator/root privileges on the guest operating system, it's not sufficient to rely solely on securing virtual machines. A determined attacker can find ways to obtain these privileges, after which they can exploit these vulnerabilities.

Business Implications

These vulnerabilities present a significant risk, especially for:

  • Cloud service providers hosting virtual machines for multiple clients
  • Data centers operating critical virtualized infrastructure
  • Organizations with sensitive data stored in VMware environments

The consequences of a breach may include:

  • Compromise of the entire virtualization infrastructure
  • Loss or theft of sensitive data
  • Disruptions to business-critical services
  • Significant reputational and financial damage

How ENGINYRING Can Help

At ENGINYRING, we understand the challenges associated with maintaining the security of virtualized infrastructure. Our virtual server management services include proactive vulnerability monitoring and rapid application of critical security patches.

For our clients using VMware technologies, we offer:

  • Assistance in evaluating infrastructure to determine exposure
  • Planning and implementing security updates with minimal impact on operations
  • Configuration and hardening of virtualized infrastructure security
  • Continuous monitoring for detecting exploit attempts

Conclusion

The VM Escape vulnerabilities announced in VMSA-2025-0004 represent a significant threat to any organization using VMware ESX. We strongly recommend immediate updating of affected systems.

If you have questions about how these vulnerabilities might affect your infrastructure or need assistance implementing patches, contact us. The ENGINYRING team is ready to provide support for maintaining the security and availability of your virtualized environment.

Additional Resources