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Mallory
CriticalCISA KEVExploited in the wildPublic exploit

Remote Code Execution in VMware vCenter Server DCERPC Implementation

IdentifiersCVE-2024-37079CWE-787· Out-of-bounds Write

CVE-2024-37079 is a critical memory-corruption vulnerability in Broadcom VMware vCenter Server. The flaw is described as a heap overflow / out-of-bounds write in vCenter Server’s implementation of the DCE/RPC (DCERPC) protocol. A remote attacker with network access to the vCenter Server can trigger the vulnerability by sending specially crafted network packets, which may corrupt heap memory and potentially result in remote code execution. Public reporting and vendor advisory context indicate the issue affects vCenter Server 7.x and 8.x branches prior to patched releases, and VMware Cloud Foundation deployments that include vulnerable vCenter components are also impacted. Broadcom/VMware patched the issue in June 2024 under VMSA-2024-0012 and later indicated exploitation had occurred in the wild.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation can provide unauthenticated remote code execution on the vCenter Server management plane. Because vCenter centrally manages ESXi hosts and virtual infrastructure, compromise of vCenter can enable broad administrative control over the virtualized environment, including access to management functions, potential lateral movement to managed hypervisors and workloads, and follow-on actions such as disabling defenses, tampering with backups, or broader infrastructure compromise. CISA added the vulnerability to the KEV catalog based on evidence of active exploitation in the wild.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

Broadcom/VMware reporting indicates there are no official product workarounds for CVE-2024-37079. Where immediate patching is not possible, only compensating controls are available: restrict network reachability to vCenter Server, ensure management interfaces are not exposed to the public internet, segment or isolate the management plane, limit access to trusted administrative networks or jump hosts/VPNs, and monitor for anomalous DCERPC traffic and suspicious vCenter activity. These measures reduce exposure but do not remediate the vulnerability.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Apply the vendor-fixed VMware vCenter Server updates referenced in Broadcom/VMware security advisory VMSA-2024-0012 and update VMware Cloud Foundation bundles that include vulnerable vCenter components. Reported fixed versions include vCenter Server 7.0 U3r and later, and vCenter Server 8.0 U2d / 8.0 U1e and later as applicable to the deployed branch. Use the advisory as the source of truth for exact affected and fixed build numbers. Broadcom has stated that patching/upgrading is the required remediation.
PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType
BroadcomCloud Foundationapplication
BroadcomVcenter Serverapplication
BroadcomVmware Cloud Foundationapplication
BroadcomVmware Vcenter Serverapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

What this page doesn’t show

The version that knows your environment.

This page is what’s public. Mallory adds the parts that aren’t: which of your assets are affected, which adversaries are exploiting it right now, which detections to deploy, and what to do tonight.
Exposure mapping

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Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures1

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity67

Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.