# CVE-2022-22943: Privilege escalation in VMware Tools for Windows

> Local administrators can execute code with system privileges via an uncontrolled search path in VMware Tools for Windows.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 3 Mar 2022
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-v28q-xfvc-8p57

## What is CVE-2022-22943?

CVE-2022-22943 is a medium-severity vulnerability in VMware Tools for Windows, published on 3 Mar 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

VMware Tools for Windows (11.x.y and 10.x.y prior to 12.0.0) contains an uncontrolled search path vulnerability. A malicious actor with local administrative privileges in the Windows guest OS, where VMware Tools is installed, may be able to execute code with system privileges in the Windows guest OS due to an uncontrolled search path element.

Weakness: CWE-427 (Uncontrolled Search Path Element)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-22943?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Vmware Tools.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-22943?

No fix has been published for CVE-2022-22943 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2022-22943 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-22943 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in VMware Tools for Windows

- [CVE-2023-34057](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-34057/): Privilege escalation in VMware Tools (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2016-7079](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-7079/): Null dereference in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2016-7080](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-7080/): Null dereference in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2022-22977](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-22977/): XML external entity in VMware Tools for Windows (high 7.1)
- [CVE-2019-5522](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-5522/): Information disclosure in VMware Tools for Windows (high 7.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-22943 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-22943 is a medium-severity vulnerability in VMware Tools for Windows, published on 3 Mar 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-22943 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: VMware Tools for Windows. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-22943/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-22943/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-22943
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-22943
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-22943

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-22943/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.