Introduction
Privilege escalation to root on a virtual machine can allow attackers to bypass security controls, access sensitive data, and establish persistence. CVE-2025-41244 impacts VMware Aria Operations and VMware Tools, two core components in enterprise virtualization environments. This vulnerability enables a local user with non-administrative privileges to escalate to root if certain management features are enabled, posing a significant risk in managed VM infrastructures.
About the involved software: VMware is a leading provider of virtualization and cloud management solutions, with millions of enterprise deployments worldwide. VMware Aria Operations (formerly vRealize Operations) is a centralized operations management platform for hybrid and multi-cloud environments. VMware Tools is a suite of utilities installed on guest VMs to enhance performance and manageability. Both are foundational in modern IT infrastructure.
Technical Information
CVE-2025-41244 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability classified under CWE-267 (Privilege Defined With Unsafe Actions). The issue arises when VMware Aria Operations manages a VM with VMware Tools installed and SDMP (Software-Defined Management Platform) enabled. In this configuration, a local attacker with non-administrative privileges can exploit improper privilege definitions to gain root access on the VM.
The vulnerability is rooted in the way privileges are assigned and enforced between Aria Operations and VMware Tools when SDMP is active. The advisory does not provide further technical details or code snippets. No public proof of concept or exploit code is available at this time.
Affected Systems and Versions
- VMware Aria Operations (specific affected versions not detailed in the advisory)
- VMware Tools (specific affected versions not detailed in the advisory)
- Vulnerable when:
- VMware Tools is installed on the VM
- The VM is managed by VMware Aria Operations
- SDMP (Software-Defined Management Platform) is enabled
Refer to Broadcom VMSA-2025-0015 for the most current list of affected versions and patch details.
Vendor Security History
VMware products have experienced several privilege escalation vulnerabilities in recent years. Notably, VMware Tools has been affected by CVE-2022-31676 and CVE-2025-22230, both allowing local users to escalate privileges. VMware Aria Operations has also seen multiple high-severity vulnerabilities in 2025, including credential exposure and API access control flaws. Broadcom typically issues advisories and patches promptly, but the recurrence of privilege management issues suggests ongoing architectural challenges.