CVE-2022-22956
Published: 13 April 2022
Summary
CVE-2022-22956 is a critical-severity Improper Authentication (CWE-287) vulnerability in Vmware Identity Manager. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, ranked in the top 0.6% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
Deeper analysis
VMware Workspace ONE Access contains an authentication bypass vulnerability, CVE-2022-22956, within its OAuth2 ACS framework. The flaw stems from exposed endpoints that allow improper authentication checks, tracked under CWE-287, and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.8 reflecting network-accessible exploitation without credentials or user interaction.
An unauthenticated remote attacker can leverage the exposed endpoints to bypass authentication entirely and execute arbitrary operations on the affected Workspace ONE Access instance. The same issue is also reported alongside the related CVE-2022-22955 in the same component.
The vendor advisory VMSA-2022-0011 and associated exploit references on Packet Storm indicate that patches and mitigations are available through VMware's standard update channels. The EPSS score has reached a peak of 0.8758 with a current value of 0.8492, confirming sustained exploitation interest after disclosure.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2022-28079
Vulnerability details
VMware Workspace ONE Access has two authentication bypass vulnerabilities (CVE-2022-22955 & CVE-2022-22956) in the OAuth2 ACS framework. A malicious actor may bypass the authentication mechanism and execute any operation due to exposed endpoints in the authentication framework.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
No named actor attribution yet. ATT&CK technique mapping in progress for this CVE.
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Detects unauthorized successful logons resulting from improper authentication implementations.
Documented procedures ensure personnel are trained on authentication mechanisms, tangibly lowering the risk of improper authentication being exploited.
Security awareness training instructs users on secure authentication practices and avoiding credential compromise.
Training on authentication mechanisms and best practices decreases the occurrence of improper authentication.
Non-repudiation requires strong authentication mechanisms to irrefutably attribute performed actions to specific individuals or processes.
Session content review can reveal authentication bypasses or failures in session establishment.
Review of authentication-related audit records can detect improper authentication mechanisms or bypasses.
Assessments check authentication mechanisms for correct implementation and effectiveness, reducing successful authentication bypass attempts.