CVE-2024-37085: VMware ESXi Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

Reference page built from the source records below, each shown as its source publishes it. Dataset version ref-a23fd3a09367, updated 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z.

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

Name
VMware ESXi Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
Vendor
VMware
Product
ESXi
Added to the catalog
2024-07-30
Due date for US federal agencies
2024-08-20
Weaknesses
CWE-305
Catalog version
2026.10.30

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.

Required action (CISA)

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

Ransomware use: CISA marks this vulnerability as known to be used in ransomware campaigns. CISA does not say which group used it.

Links in CISA's notes

Read on 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z under licence cisa-kev-cc0@b0067899 from https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json

NVD analysis

Status
Analyzed
Published
2024-06-25T15:15:12.377
Last modified
2026-06-17T07:37:43.940
Weaknesses
CWE-287, CWE-305

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.

MetricScoreSeverityVectorScored by
CVSS 3.16.8MEDIUMCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H[email protected] (Secondary)
CVSS 3.17.2HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H[email protected] (Primary)

References

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.

Read on 2026-11-02T23:42:15.686Z under licence nvd-api-terms-of-use@ff2a5288 from https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?cveId=CVE-2024-37085

CVE record

Assigner
vmware
State
PUBLISHED
Published
2024-06-25T14:16:01.280Z
Updated
2025-10-21T22:56:21.754Z
Problem types
Authentication bypass vulnerability

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.

References

Read on 2026-11-03T02:06:34.636Z under licence cve-terms-of-use@81bfa2f3 from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/main/cves/2024/37xxx/CVE-2024-37085.json

Detection rules (SigmaHQ)

SigmaHQ rules whose own tags name this CVE. Each rule page shows the rule as its author published it.

Defensive techniques (MITRE D3FEND)

D3FEND maps these defensive techniques to the weakness (CWE) that NVD lists for this CVE, through the digital artifacts the weakness affects. D3FEND does not say they stop this vulnerability.

CWE-287: Improper Authentication

D3FEND ontology version 1.6.0.

Read on 2026-11-02T23:55:44.276Z under licence d3fend-terms-of-use@f98cbc7e from https://d3fend.mitre.org/api/weakness/cwe/CWE-287.json

CWE-305: Authentication Bypass by Primary Weakness

D3FEND ontology version 1.6.0.

Read on 2026-11-02T23:55:53.560Z under licence d3fend-terms-of-use@f98cbc7e from https://d3fend.mitre.org/api/weakness/cwe/CWE-305.json

MITRE D3FEND™ knowledge graph. © 2025 The MITRE Corporation.
"The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) hereby grants you a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use D3FEND for research, development, and commercial purposes. Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy." Terms: https://d3fend.mitre.org/tou/

Sources and licences

  • CISA

    Source: CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, version 2026.10.30, CC0 1.0. Use of this data does not imply endorsement by CISA or DHS.

    CC0 1.0 Universal

  • National Vulnerability Database (NIST)

    This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.

    NVD API Terms of Use (NIST publications in the public domain, 17 U.S.C. 105)

  • CVE Program, The MITRE Corporation

    Copyright © 1999-2026, The MITRE Corporation. CVE is a trademark and the CVE logo is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation. CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE™). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

    CVE Program Terms of Use ("CVE Usage" licence)

  • SigmaHQ

    "Potential Exploitation of CVE-2024-37085 - Suspicious ESX Admins Group Activity" by Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules-emerging-threats/2024/Exploits/CVE-2024-37085/win_security_exploit_cve_2024_37085_esxi_admins_group.yml.
    Licensed under the Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/Detection-Rule-License

    Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1

  • SigmaHQ

    "Potential Exploitation of CVE-2024-37085 - Suspicious Creation Of ESX Admins Group" by frack113 (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules-emerging-threats/2024/Exploits/CVE-2024-37085/proc_creation_win_exploit_cve_2024_37085_esxi_admins_group_creation.yml.
    Licensed under the Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/Detection-Rule-License

    Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1

  • MITRE D3FEND

    MITRE D3FEND™ knowledge graph. © 2025 The MITRE Corporation.
    "The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) hereby grants you a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use D3FEND for research, development, and commercial purposes. Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy." Terms: https://d3fend.mitre.org/tou/

    MITRE D3FEND Terms of Use (site + knowledge graph); source repo MIT

Cite this page

Dragons Eye Ransomware Tracker, "CVE-2024-37085: VMware ESXi Authentication Bypass Vulnerability",
entity page, dataset version ref-a23fd3a09367, updated 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/cve/CVE-2024-37085 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, version 2026.10.30.
Underlying source: National Vulnerability Database (NIST), CVE API 2.0, record last modified 2026-06-17T07:37:43.940.
Underlying source: CVE List (CVE Program, The MITRE Corporation), record updated 2025-10-21T22:56:21.754Z.
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 47a1658b-67a4-48e2-8ab1-c10437fc0148, commit ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84.
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule c408acfe-2870-41df-8d2f-9f4daa4555ed, commit ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84.
Underlying source: MITRE D3FEND, ontology version 1.6.0.

Pages change. The dataset version identifies the data, but no archive of old versions is kept, so this citation cannot be replayed later.

CISA KEV index