CVE-2024-38813 | Privilege escalation vulnerability

Exp

The vCenter Server contains a privilege escalation vulnerability. A malicious actor with network access to vCenter Server may trigger this vulnerability to escalate privileges to root by sending a specially crafted network packet.

Published: 2024-09-17 Last update: 2025-10-31 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Analyzed，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2024-38813 is rated Critical Active Threat (87.1/100): CVSS High severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 29.53%, 97th percentile). CISA KEV confirms active exploitation (added 2024-11-20) affecting VMware / vCenter Server. a weakness (CWE-250) Unauthenticated remote administrative access may be possible. The CISA remediation deadline has passed—treat as an emergency patch priority.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

CISA KEV Record for CVE-2024-38813

Name: VMware vCenter Server Privilege Escalation Vulnerability · CISA KEV detail

Exploit added: 2024-11-20

Action due: 2024-12-11

Required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2024-38813

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-03-26 31.19% 29.53% -1.66%
2 2026-03-21 31.11% 31.19% +0.08%
3 2026-03-04 — 31.11% —

Full EPSS history (43 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2024-38813

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.5 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.6 5.9 [email protected]
9.8 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 3.9 5.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2024-38813

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2024-38813

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
vmware cloud_foundation >= 4.0, < 5.2 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:cloud_foundation:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:a:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:b:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:c:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:d:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update1:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update1a:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update1c:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update1d:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update2:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update2a:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update2b:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update2c:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update2d:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3a:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3c:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3d:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3e:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3f:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3g:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3h:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3i:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3j:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3k:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3l:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3m:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3n:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3o:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3p:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3q:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3r:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 7.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:7.0:update3s:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 8.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:8.0:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 8.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:8.0:a:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 8.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:8.0:b:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 8.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:8.0:c:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 8.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:8.0:update1:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 8.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:8.0:update1a:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 8.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:8.0:update1b:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 8.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:8.0:update1c:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 8.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:8.0:update1d:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 8.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:8.0:update1e:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 8.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:8.0:update2:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 8.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:8.0:update2a:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 8.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:8.0:update2b:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 8.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:8.0:update2c:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware vcenter_server 8.0 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:vcenter_server:8.0:update2d:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2024-38813

cvelogic Threat Intelligence