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Threats / VMware / CVE-2022-22954
CVE-2022-22954 · EUVD no mirror located · GCVE no mirror located Verified 2026-08-04

VMware Workspace ONE Access and Identity Manager vulnerability

VMware Workspace ONE Access and Identity Manager are vulnerable to remote code execution via server-side template injection, enabling unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems.

Verdict

Today item, not a backlog item.

A critical server-side template injection flaw in VMware identity management products allows remote code execution without authentication. The vulnerability has been actively exploited in ransomware campaigns, posing severe risk to enterprise infrastructure.

CISA KEV Yes · 2022-04-144Ransomware use Flagged4EPSS 0.99996 (verify live)5Exploit Weaponized · public PoC6CVSS 9.8 (CISA)3CISA SSVC Exploitation: active · Automatable: yes · Impact: total3
01

Is it exploitable?

— the evidence, ranked above the score
Exploit available
Fully weaponized — public exploit code is cataloged for this vulnerability.We link the existence of the exploit; we do not host or redistribute payloads.
Reported exploitation
204 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-04-14), flagged for known ransomware use.
CISA KEV ↗Confirmed
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.99996 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
CVSS 9.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) · Affected: VMware, Workspace ONE Access and Identity Manager. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.CVSS — CISA-assigned via the ADP container (CVE.org), version 3.1; the CNA left no metrics, so CISA's own score is used ahead of NVD.
CISA-ADP ↗Reported
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-94 Code Injection — weakness family: Injection.CWE assignment from the public NVD record (may be stale); the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
NVD ↗Reported
CISA SSVC (triage disposition)
Exploitation: active · Automatable: yes · Technical Impact: totalCISA's own stakeholder-specific triage inputs, published in the CVE record (CISA Coordinator role). NOTE: this is CISA's three decision points; the final Act/Attend/Track decision also requires a Mission & Well-being input not published here, so no overall decision is asserted.
CISA-ADP ↗Reported
Currency of the record
CISA added this to its KEV catalog 3 days after the CVE record was published.KEV lag = CISA-KEV dateAdded − CVE.org datePublished; a floor on how long the known-exploited flaw sat in the public record before the federal catalog listed it. Severity/weakness here is CNA- or CISA-assigned (current at disclosure), independent of NVD's analysis backlog.
Public exploit available
Public exploit tooling is catalogued for this CVE (a functional/weaponized public exploit). Catalog entries: Metasploit module, nuclei template. We link the catalog page(s) only — no payload or code is hosted or restated here.Link, never host — the catalog page is the source; basicsecurity.net does not redistribute payloads.
WeaknessCWE-94 · Code InjectionInjection
02

Who’s exploiting it?

— attribution turns risk into urgency
Attribution not established

No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.

03

Why it matters

— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board
1

Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1

Attacker
I craft a malicious template payload and send it to the vulnerable Workspace ONE Access endpoint to trigger server-side template injection.
Business
Attackers gain initial code execution on identity management infrastructure, bypassing authentication controls.
2

Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2

Attacker
I execute arbitrary commands on the compromised server to establish persistence and escalate privileges within the environment.
Business
Attackers obtain sustained access to systems managing user identities and access credentials across the enterprise.
3

Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3

Attacker
I harvest credentials and authentication tokens from the compromised identity manager to access downstream systems and applications.
Business
Attackers pivot laterally across the organization using stolen identity infrastructure, compromising sensitive business systems.
4

Data at risk — exfiltration narrative 4

Attacker
I deploy ransomware payloads across the network using the compromised identity management system as a distribution point.
Business
Critical business operations are disrupted by widespread ransomware encryption, forcing costly recovery and potential ransom payments.
04

What to do

— defensible action
  • Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05

Coverage & confidence

— what we know, and what we don’t

Established (cited)

  • KEV listing (CISA)
  • Ransomware-use flag (CISA)
  • EPSS probability (FIRST)
  • Weaponized exploit available (VulnCheck)
  • 204 reported-exploitation source(s)
  • CVSS 9.8 — CISA-assigned (CVE.org ADP)
  • CISA SSVC triage disposition (CVE.org ADP)
  • CWE weakness mapping (NVD feed — CNA left none)
  • Public exploit availability
  • Catalogued by vmware (CNA)
  • Coverage gaps — stated, not hidden

  • No EUVD / GCVE mirror in feed — single-authority dependency for the identifier.
  • EPSS & exposure are time-varying; verify live at the source.
  • Threat-actor attribution not established from feed data — absence of a name is not absence of compromise.
  • No finder/reporter credit recorded in the public CVE entry — the work behind this find is unattributed.
  • Disclosure & credit2
    Catalogued by vmwareCNA
    Credited with finding itNo finder named in the public CVE record — the work behind this find is unattributed.