CVE-2023-34045
VMware Fusion installer local privilege escalation
VMware Fusion(13.x prior to 13.5) contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability that occurs during installation for the first time (the user needs to drag or copy the application to a folder from the '.dmg' volume) or when installing an upgrade. A malicious actor with local non-administrative user privileges may exploit this vulnerability to escalate privileges to root on the system where Fusion is installed or being installed for the first time.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
VMware Fusion installer local privilege escalation
VMware Fusion(13.x prior to 13.5) contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability that occurs during installation for the first time (the user needs to drag or copy the application to a folder from the '.dmg' volume) or when installing an upgrade. A malicious actor with local non-administrative user privileges may exploit this vulnerability to escalate privileges to root on the system where Fusion is installed or being installed for the first time.
- Record
CVE-2023-34045- CVSS 3.1
- 6.6 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-269
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2023-38164
VMware Fusion(13.x prior to 13.5) contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability that occurs during installation for the first time (the user needs to drag or copy the application to a folder from the '.dmg' volume) or when installing an upgrade. A malicious actor with local non-administrative user privileges may exploit this vulnerability to escalate privileges to root on the system where Fusion is installed or being installed for the first time.
- Record
EUVD-2023-38164- CVSS 3.1
- 6.6 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-gqww-mmf9-7x23
VMware Fusion(13.x prior to 13.5) contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability that occurs...
VMware Fusion(13.x prior to 13.5) contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability that occurs during installation for the first time (the user needs to drag or copy the application to a folder from the '.dmg' volume) or when installing an upgrade. A malicious actor with local non-administrative user privileges may exploit this vulnerability to escalate privileges to root on the system where Fusion is installed or being installed for the first time.
- Record
GHSA-gqww-mmf9-7x23- CVSS 3.1
- 6.6 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-269
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
VMware Fusion(13.x prior to 13.5) contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability that occurs during installation for the first time (the user needs to drag or copy the application to a folder from the '.dmg' volume) or when installing an upgrade. A malicious actor with local non-administrative user privileges may exploit this vulnerability to escalate privileges to root on the system where Fusion is installed or being installed for the first time.
- Record
CVE-2023-34045- CVSS 3.1
- 6.6 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N - CVSS 3.1
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-269
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2023-34045 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.6) in Vmware Fusion, published October 20, 2023. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.17%, the 5th percentile. No source names a fixed version.