Full Report
Broadcom has released security updates to patch five security flaws impacting VMware Aria Operations and Aria Operations for Logs, warning customers that attackers could exploit them to gain elevated access or obtain sensitive information. The list of identified flaws, which impact versions 8.x of the software, is below - CVE-2025-22218 (CVSS score: 8.5) - A malicious actor with View Only Admin
Analysis Summary
# Vulnerability: Multiple Flaws in VMware Aria Operations and Aria Operations for Logs Leading to Credential Exposure and Unauthorized Operations
## CVE Details
- CVE ID: CVE-2025-22218, CVE-2025-22219, CVE-2025-22220, CVE-2025-22221, CVE-2025-22222
- CVSS Score: 8.5 (CVE-2025-22218), 6.8 (CVE-2025-22219), 4.3 (CVE-2025-22220), 5.2 (CVE-2025-22221), 7.7 (CVE-2025-22222)
- CWE: Not explicitly detailed, but involve aspects of Information Exposure, XSS, and Injection.
## Affected Systems
- Products: VMware Aria Operations and VMware Aria Operations for Logs
- Versions: Versions 8.x (Prior to 8.18.3)
- Configurations: Varies per CVE:
- CVE-2025-22218: Requires View Only Admin permissions.
- CVE-2025-22221: Requires admin privileges on Aria Operations for Logs.
## Vulnerability Description
Broadcom addressed five distinct security flaws across VMware Aria Operations and Aria Operations for Logs:
1. **CVE-2025-22218 (CVSS 8.5):** A vulnerability allowing a malicious actor with **View Only Admin** permissions to read the credentials of an integrated VMware product associated with Aria Operations for Logs.
2. **CVE-2025-22219 (CVSS 6.8):** A stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability that allows a non-administrative user to inject a malicious script, potentially leading to arbitrary operations being executed as an admin user.
3. **CVE-2025-22220 (CVSS 4.3):** Allows a non-administrative user with network access to the Aria Operations for Logs API to perform certain operations within the context of an administrator.
4. **CVE-2025-22221 (CVSS 5.2):** An authenticated administrative user on Aria Operations for Logs can inject a malicious script that executes in a victim's browser when a delete action is performed in the Agent Configuration.
5. **CVE-2025-22222 (CVSS 7.7):** A user with non-administrative privileges can exploit this flaw to retrieve credentials for an outbound plugin if a valid service credential ID is known.
## Exploitation
- Status: Not explicitly stated to be exploited in the wild, but the advisory warns that exploits *may* lead to credential theft and elevated access.
- Complexity: Varies per CVE (e.g., requires admin privileges for some, limited privileges for others).
- Attack Vector: Varies, including network access (API) and authenticated access via the UI.
## Impact
- Confidentiality: High (Credential theft possible via CVE-2025-22218 and CVE-2025-22222).
- Integrity: Medium to High (Arbitrary operations as admin possible via CVE-2025-22219).
- Availability: Variable, potentially low depending on exploitation path.
## Remediation
### Patches
- All five vulnerabilities are patched in **VMware Aria Operations and Aria Operations for Logs version 8.18.3**.
### Workarounds
- No specific workarounds were mentioned in the provided summary. Users should prioritize applying the official patch.
## Detection
- Detection methods were not explicitly detailed in the article.
- Indicators of compromise would be highly dependent on the specific exploitation path chosen (e.g., unexpected credential usage, unauthorized API calls, unusual scripts executing in the context of admin users).
## References
- Vendor Advisory/Patch Availability: support.broadcom.com/web/ecx/support-content-notification/-/external/content/SecurityAdvisories/0/25329
- Related Prior Advisories (for context): support.broadcom.com/web/ecx/support-content-notification/-/external/content/SecurityAdvisories/0/25199
- Article Source: thehackernews.com/2025/01/broadcom-patches-vmware-aria-flaws.html