CVE-2025-37101: HPE OneView Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2025-37101 Overview

CVE-2025-37101 is a vertical privilege escalation vulnerability in HPE OneView for VMware vCenter (OV4VC). An attacker holding read-only operator privileges can perform administrative actions on the affected system. The flaw is classified under [CWE-269] Improper Privilege Management and requires user interaction to exploit over the network. HPE published a security bulletin acknowledging the issue and providing remediation guidance.

Critical Impact
A low-privileged operator account can execute administrative operations on HPE OneView for VMware vCenter, breaking the role-based access control boundary and exposing managed infrastructure to unauthorized changes.

Affected Products

HPE OneView for VMware vCenter (OV4VC)
VMware vCenter integrations managed through OV4VC
HPE infrastructure managed via the OV4VC plug-in

Discovery Timeline

2025-06-26 - CVE-2025-37101 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-37101

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a Vertical Privilege Escalation flaw in HPE OneView for VMware vCenter. Authorization checks within the product fail to enforce role boundaries between read-only operator accounts and administrative accounts. As a result, a user authenticated with operator privileges can invoke administrative functions that should be restricted to admin-level identities.

Exploitation requires network access to the OV4VC interface and a degree of user interaction. The scope of impact extends beyond the vulnerable component because OV4VC orchestrates HPE infrastructure operations from within VMware vCenter. A successful attacker preserves integrity and availability impact at a high level while confidentiality of data is not directly impacted.

Root Cause

The root cause is Improper Privilege Management [CWE-269]. OV4VC enforces authentication but does not consistently validate the authorization role assigned to the calling principal before executing privileged operations. Administrative endpoints or workflows accept requests from operator-tier sessions, treating any authenticated identity as eligible to perform protected actions.

Attack Vector

The attacker authenticates to HPE OneView for VMware vCenter using a valid operator account. The attacker then issues requests targeting administrative functionality, such as configuration changes or management operations against connected HPE infrastructure. Because user interaction is required, the attacker may need to leverage an existing admin session or trigger an admin-facing workflow during the operator request. HPE has not released technical exploitation details, and no public proof-of-concept has been reported. Refer to the HPE Security Bulletin for vendor-supplied technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-37101

Indicators of Compromise

Administrative actions performed by accounts assigned only read-only or operator roles in OV4VC audit logs
Unexpected configuration changes to HPE OneView managed resources initiated through the vCenter plug-in
Authentication sessions from operator accounts that generate API calls to administrative endpoints

Detection Strategies

Correlate OV4VC audit log entries with assigned role membership to identify privilege mismatches between the authenticated principal and the action executed
Baseline normal operator activity and alert on deviations such as resource provisioning, firmware operations, or role modifications originating from non-admin accounts
Inspect vCenter task history for plug-in initiated administrative tasks attributed to operator-tier service accounts

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward OV4VC and vCenter audit logs to a centralized SIEM for retention and analytic correlation
Enable alerting on any privileged API call from accounts not explicitly tagged as administrative
Review session activity for operator accounts on a recurring basis until the patch is applied

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-37101

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the fixed version of HPE OneView for VMware vCenter as referenced in the HPE Security Bulletin
Audit all OV4VC user accounts and remove operator-level access that is no longer required
Rotate credentials for any operator accounts that may have been exposed prior to patching

Patch Information

HPE has published security bulletin hpesbgn04876en_us documenting CVE-2025-37101 and the corresponding fixed releases of HPE OneView for VMware vCenter. Administrators should consult the bulletin to identify the exact fixed version applicable to their deployment and schedule an upgrade through standard change management. Verify the upgrade in a non-production environment before rolling out to production vCenter instances.

Workarounds

Restrict network access to the OV4VC management interface to administrative jump hosts only until patching is complete
Temporarily reduce or disable operator-tier accounts that interact with OV4VC where business processes allow
Enable enhanced audit logging on vCenter and OV4VC to capture all plug-in initiated actions for retrospective review

bash

# Example: list OV4VC user role assignments via PowerCLI for review
Connect-VIServer -Server vcenter.example.local
Get-VIPermission | Where-Object { $_.Role -match 'Operator' } |
  Select-Object Principal, Role, Entity, Propagate |
  Export-Csv -Path ./ov4vc-operator-permissions.csv -NoTypeInformation