CVE-2025-41231 Overview
CVE-2025-41231 is a missing authorisation vulnerability in VMware Cloud Foundation, disclosed by Broadcom on May 20, 2025. The flaw allows a malicious actor with access to a VMware Cloud Foundation appliance to perform unauthorised actions and access limited sensitive information. The weakness is tracked as [CWE-862] (Missing Authorization) and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.3. Exploitation requires local access, but no privileges or user interaction are required. VMware Cloud Foundation is a widely deployed hybrid cloud platform, making authorisation defects in its management surfaces meaningful for enterprise environments.
Critical Impact
An authenticated adversary on the Cloud Foundation appliance can bypass authorisation checks to trigger restricted actions and read limited sensitive data.
Affected Products
- VMware Cloud Foundation (see Broadcom advisory for affected versions)
- Deployments running the affected Cloud Foundation appliance
- Environments using SDDC Manager components tied to Cloud Foundation
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-05-20 - CVE-2025-41231 published to NVD
- 2025-05-20 - Broadcom issued the security advisory for VMware Cloud Foundation
- 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-41231
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability stems from missing authorisation checks in one or more request handlers exposed by the VMware Cloud Foundation appliance. When a component fails to verify that the calling principal has permission to invoke an operation, an attacker who can reach the interface can execute functionality reserved for privileged roles. The advisory scopes the impact to unauthorised actions and access to limited sensitive information, consistent with [CWE-862] weaknesses that expose management or configuration functions without appropriate role checks. The attack vector is local, meaning the adversary must already have some level of access to the appliance environment. Confidentiality impact is rated high, while integrity and availability impacts are limited.
Root Cause
The root cause is an absent or incomplete authorisation check on privileged operations within the Cloud Foundation appliance. Application code exposes functionality that should be restricted to specific administrative roles but does not enforce those restrictions server-side. As a result, permission boundaries between users of the appliance are not consistently applied.
Attack Vector
An attacker with local access to the VMware Cloud Foundation appliance can send requests to the vulnerable interface without holding the expected role. Because privileges required is rated None and user interaction is not needed, the request is honoured based solely on reachability. The attacker uses this access to perform unauthorised actions or read sensitive data exposed by the affected functions. Refer to the Broadcom Security Advisory for technical scope.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-41231
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected administrative or configuration actions on the Cloud Foundation appliance performed by non-administrative accounts.
- Access to sensitive endpoints or API paths from users lacking the corresponding role assignment.
- Anomalous appliance audit log entries showing successful privileged operations without corresponding role changes.
Detection Strategies
- Review Cloud Foundation and SDDC Manager audit logs for actions inconsistent with the requesting account's role.
- Correlate authentication events on the appliance with subsequent privileged API calls to identify authorisation bypasses.
- Compare current appliance configuration against known-good baselines to detect unauthorised changes.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Forward VMware Cloud Foundation and SDDC Manager logs to a central analytics platform for role-based anomaly detection.
- Alert on privileged API calls originating from accounts that do not hold administrative roles.
- Track appliance access sessions and flag lateral movement toward Cloud Foundation management interfaces.
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-41231
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the fixed version of VMware Cloud Foundation as specified in the Broadcom Security Advisory.
- Restrict network access to the Cloud Foundation appliance to trusted administrative networks only.
- Audit accounts that had access to the appliance during the exposure window and rotate credentials as appropriate.
Patch Information
Broadcom has published fixed versions and remediation guidance for CVE-2025-41231 in advisory VMSA reference 25733. Administrators should consult the Broadcom Security Advisory to identify the specific patched Cloud Foundation build for their deployment and follow the vendor upgrade procedure.
Workarounds
- Limit local access to the Cloud Foundation appliance to a small set of administrators until patching is complete.
- Enforce network segmentation and jump-host requirements for management access to reduce reachability.
- Increase logging verbosity on the appliance and monitor for unauthorised action patterns while awaiting remediation.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
