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Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2024-37085

VMware ESXi Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

Published Apr 23, 2024 · catalog updated Jun 17, 2026 · VMware ESXi

Patch now

CVE-2024-37085 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due Aug 20, 2024. Confirm VMware ESXi against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.

Severity
High7.2
Known exploitation
CISA KEV and VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
26.77%
Remediation
Remediation guidance
Affected products
cpe vmware/cloud foundation · cpe vmware/esxi · vendor VMware ESXi

VMware ESXi contains an authentication bypass vulnerability. A malicious actor with sufficient Active Directory (AD) permissions can gain full access to an ESXi host that was previously configured to use AD for user management https://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/09/joining-vsphere-hosts-to-active-directory.html by re-creating the configured AD group ('ESXi Admins' by default) after it was deleted from AD.

Are you affected?

Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.

The check returns affected, not affected, or incomplete. It does not guess a version that is missing from the record.

  • cpe vmware/cloud foundationversion unspecified
  • cpe vmware/esxi7.0
  • cpe vmware/esxi8.0
  • vendor VMware ESXiversion unspecified

How to fix CVE-2024-37085

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

CVE-2024-37085 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due Aug 20, 2024. Confirm VMware ESXi against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.

Which versions are affected?

Compare what you have installed with 7.0, 8.0. Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

What should an analyst verify?

CWE-287: Improper Authentication; CWE-305. EPSS 26.77%. The CISA KEV listing is the exploitation evidence. No Exploit-DB or Metasploit reference is linked. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

No public source repository is identified for this product.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. Jun 25, 2024 · Catalog

    Detected

    VMware ESXi contains an authentication bypass vulnerability. A malicious actor with sufficient Active Directory (AD) permissions can gain full access to an ESXi host that was previously configured to use AD for user management https://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/09/joining-vsphere-hosts-to-active-directory.html by re-creating the configured AD group ('ESXi Admins' by default) after it was delete

  2. Jul 30, 2024 · CISA KEV

    Known exploited

    Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

  3. Aug 20, 2024 · CISA KEV

    Remediation due

    Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

  4. Jun 17, 2026 · Catalog

    Updated

    VMware ESXi contains an authentication bypass vulnerability. A malicious actor with sufficient Active Directory (AD) permissions can gain full access to an ESXi host that was previously configured to use AD for user management https://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/09/joining-vsphere-hosts-to-active-directory.html by re-creating the configured AD group ('ESXi Admins' by default) after it was delete

Sources

  • AttackerKBCited referencehttps://attackerkb.com/topics/2llWJbMF0o/cve-2024-37085

    AttackerKB link already published on the finding.

    attackerkb.com
  • CISA KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2024-37085

    VMware ESXi contains an authentication bypass vulnerability. A malicious actor with sufficient Active Directory (AD) permissions can gain full access to an ESXi host that was previously configured to use AD for user management by re-creating the configured AD group ('ESXi Admins' by default) after it was deleted from AD.

    cisa.gov
  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2024-37085

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2024-37085

    30-day exploitation probability 26.8%

    first.org
  • NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2024-37085

    VMware ESXi contains an authentication bypass vulnerability. A malicious actor with sufficient Active Directory (AD) permissions can gain full access to an ESXi host that was previously configured to use AD for user management https://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/09/joining-vsp

    nvd.nist.gov
  • VulnCheck KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2024-37085

    VMware ESXi contains an authentication bypass vulnerability. A malicious actor with sufficient Active Directory (AD) permissions can gain full access to an ESXi host that was previously configured to use AD for user management by re-creating the configured AD group ('ESXi Admins'

    vulncheck.com

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Oct 17, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.