How severe is CVE-2021-22045?

CVE-2021-22045 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-22045 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (91st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-22045?

CVE-2021-22045 primarily affects Vmware Cloud Foundation. In total, 216 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-22045?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2021-22045 published?

CVE-2021-22045 was published on 2022-01-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-22045

CVE-2021-22045 is a high-severity vulnerability in Vmware Cloud Foundation with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-787.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 6.9
EPSS exploit prediction: 5% (91st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-787
Affected product: Vmware Cloud Foundation
Published: 2022-01-04
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

VMware ESXi (7.0, 6.7 before ESXi670-202111101-SG and 6.5 before ESXi650-202110101-SG), VMware Workstation (16.2.0) and VMware Fusion (12.2.0) contains a heap-overflow vulnerability in CD-ROM device emulation. A malicious actor with access to a virtual machine with CD-ROM device emulation may be able to exploit this vulnerability in conjunction with other issues to execute code on the hypervisor from a virtual machine.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-22045?: VMware ESXi (7.0, 6.7 before ESXi670-202111101-SG and 6.5 before ESXi650-202110101-SG), VMware Workstation (16.2.0) and VMware Fusion (12.2.0) contains a heap-overflow vulnerability in CD-ROM device emulation. A malicious actor with access to a virtual machine with CD-ROM device emulation may be able to exploit this vulnerability in conjunction with other issues to execute code on the hypervisor from a virtual machine.
How severe is CVE-2021-22045?: CVE-2021-22045 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-22045 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (91st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-22045?: CVE-2021-22045 primarily affects Vmware Cloud Foundation. In total, 216 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-22045?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2021-22045 published?: CVE-2021-22045 was published on 2022-01-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (216)

cpe:2.3:a:vmware:cloud_foundation:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:vmware:workstation:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:vmware:fusion:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201701001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201703001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201703002:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201704001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707101:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707102:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707103:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707201:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707202:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707203:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707204:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707205:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707206:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707207:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707208:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707209:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707210:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707211:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707212:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707213:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707214:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707215:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707216:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707217:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707218:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707219:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707220:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707221:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201710001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201712001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201803001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201806001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201808001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201810001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201810002:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201811001:*:*:*:*:*:*

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