CVE-2025-41225: vCenter Server RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-41225 Overview

CVE-2025-41225 is an authenticated command-execution vulnerability in VMware vCenter Server. The flaw allows an authenticated attacker with permissions to create or modify alarms and run script actions to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying vCenter Server. Broadcom disclosed the issue in Security Advisory #25717. The weakness maps to [CWE-78], OS Command Injection. vCenter Server is the central management plane for VMware vSphere environments, so command execution on this host can expose credentials, configuration data, and managed ESXi hosts.

Critical Impact

An authenticated attacker with alarm and script-action privileges can run arbitrary commands on vCenter Server, leading to full compromise of the virtualization management plane.

Affected Products

• VMware vCenter Server (per Broadcom Security Advisory #25717)
• VMware Cloud Foundation (vCenter component)
• VMware vSphere environments managed through affected vCenter releases

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-05-20 - CVE-2025-41225 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
• 2026-04-15 - Last updated in the NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-41225

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the vCenter Server alarm subsystem. vCenter alarms can trigger script actions when defined conditions are met. An authenticated user with privileges to create or modify alarms and to configure run-script actions can inject operating system commands that vCenter Server then executes in its own context.

The attack requires valid credentials and elevated alarm-management privileges, which limits the pool of potential abusers but does not eliminate the risk. Insider threats, compromised administrator accounts, and lateral movement from a lower-privileged tenant or service account are realistic abuse paths. Because vCenter Server brokers authentication and management for ESXi hosts, command execution here can cascade into the broader virtualization fabric.

The issue is tracked as [CWE-78], Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command. The advisory characterizes the access vector as local to the vCenter management plane, with confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts all rated high.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper neutralization of user-supplied input passed to operating system command invocations within the alarm script-action workflow. Input intended as script arguments or action parameters is not adequately sanitized before reaching a command interpreter, enabling injection of additional commands or shell metacharacters.

Attack Vector

An attacker authenticates to vCenter Server with an account that holds the privileges required to create or modify alarms and configure script-based alarm actions. The attacker defines or edits an alarm with a script action containing injected commands. When the alarm triggers, vCenter executes the attacker-controlled payload on the vCenter Server host. The Broadcom advisory provides additional product and version detail. See the Broadcom Security Advisory #25717 for technical guidance.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-41225

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected creation or modification of vCenter alarms that include script actions or reference shell binaries.
• Child processes spawned by vCenter Server services that invoke shells, interpreters, or system utilities outside normal operational baselines.
• Outbound network connections originating from the vCenter Server host to untrusted destinations following alarm trigger events.

Detection Strategies

• Audit vCenter Server event logs for AlarmCreatedEvent, AlarmReconfiguredEvent, and AlarmActionTriggeredEvent entries, correlating with the user account that performed the change.
• Monitor process execution telemetry on the vCenter Server appliance for shell invocations, scripting hosts, or network utilities launched as children of vCenter service processes.
• Compare current alarm configurations against a known-good baseline to surface unauthorized script actions.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Forward vCenter Server appliance logs and vpxd events to a centralized SIEM with retention sufficient for incident investigation.
• Alert on privilege grants that add alarm-management roles to accounts that did not previously hold them.
• Track authentication events for vCenter administrative accounts, flagging logins from unusual sources or off-hours activity.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-41225

Immediate Actions Required

• Apply the patches listed in Broadcom Security Advisory #25717 to all affected vCenter Server instances.
• Audit and reduce the membership of roles that grant alarm creation, modification, and script-action privileges.
• Rotate credentials for vCenter administrative accounts and review recent alarm changes for unauthorized modifications.

Patch Information

Broadcom published fixed builds for vCenter Server in Security Advisory #25717. Administrators should consult the advisory for the specific fixed versions corresponding to their deployed releases and for any required steps for VMware Cloud Foundation environments. Apply the vendor-supplied patches following standard change-management procedures for the management cluster.

Workarounds

• Restrict the Alarms.Create, Alarms.Modify, and script-action privileges to a minimal set of trusted administrators until patching is complete.
• Enforce multi-factor authentication and network segmentation for the vCenter Server management interface to limit exposure.
• Continuously review alarm definitions for script actions and remove any that are not explicitly authorized.

# Review vCenter roles that include alarm and script-action privileges
# Run from a workstation with PowerCLI connected to vCenter
Connect-VIServer -Server vcenter.example.local
Get-VIRole | Where-Object { $_.PrivilegeList -match 'Alarm' } |
    Select-Object Name, @{N='AlarmPrivileges';E={($_.PrivilegeList -match 'Alarm') -join ','}}