CVE-2025-22225: VMware ESXi Arbitrary Write Vulnerability

Reference page built from the source records below, each shown as its source publishes it. Dataset version ref-796bf5585a15, updated 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z.

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

Name
VMware ESXi Arbitrary Write Vulnerability
Vendor
VMware
Product
ESXi
Added to the catalog
2025-03-04
Due date for US federal agencies
2025-03-25
Weaknesses
CWE-123
Catalog version
2026.10.30

VMware ESXi contains an arbitrary write vulnerability. Successful exploitation allows an attacker with privileges within the VMX process to trigger an arbitrary kernel write leading to an escape of the sandbox.

Required action (CISA)

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, 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
2025-03-04T12:15:33.840
Last modified
2026-08-04T05:16:33.493
Weaknesses
CWE-787, CWE-123

VMware ESXi contains an arbitrary write vulnerability. A malicious actor with privileges within the VMX process may trigger an arbitrary kernel write leading to an escape of the sandbox.

MetricScoreSeverityVectorScored by
CVSS 3.18.2HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H[email protected] (Secondary)
CVSS 3.18.2HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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-2025-22225

CVE record

Assigner
vmware
State
PUBLISHED
Published
2025-03-04T11:56:27.537Z
Updated
2026-08-04T03:55:46.011Z
Problem types
Arbitrary write vulnerability

VMware ESXi contains an arbitrary write vulnerability. A malicious actor with privileges within the VMX process may trigger an arbitrary kernel write leading to an escape of the sandbox.

References

Read on 2026-11-03T02:15:13.295Z under licence cve-terms-of-use@81bfa2f3 from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/main/cves/2025/22xxx/CVE-2025-22225.json

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-123: Write-what-where Condition

D3FEND ontology version 1.6.0.

Read on 2026-11-02T23:54:45.293Z under licence d3fend-terms-of-use@f98cbc7e from https://d3fend.mitre.org/api/weakness/cwe/CWE-123.json

CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write

D3FEND ontology version 1.6.0.

Read on 2026-11-03T00:02:57.820Z under licence d3fend-terms-of-use@f98cbc7e from https://d3fend.mitre.org/api/weakness/cwe/CWE-787.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)

  • 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-2025-22225: VMware ESXi Arbitrary Write Vulnerability",
entity page, dataset version ref-796bf5585a15, updated 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/cve/CVE-2025-22225 (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 2026-08-04T05:16:33.493.
Underlying source: CVE List (CVE Program, The MITRE Corporation), record updated 2026-08-04T03:55:46.011Z.
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