Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2026-59309 is a critical-severity Incorrect Implementation of Authentication Algorithm (CWE-303) vulnerability in Vmware Vcenter Server. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique External Remote Services (T1133); ranked in the top 6% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SA-15 (Development Process, Standards, and Tools) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-51098
Vulnerability Data
VMware vCenter contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in the VMware Directory Service. A malicious actor with network access to vCenter may exploit this issue to bypass authentication and gain unauthorized access to the system.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation at post-design stages directly uncovers incorrect implementations of required authentication algorithms.
Requiring documented development processes, standards, and tools reduces the chance that an established authentication algorithm is coded incorrectly.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly require correct implementation of authentication algorithms.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Cryptography control addresses proper use of authentication algorithms but is broader than authentication alone.
Secure development lifecycle includes verification steps that can catch incorrect authentication implementations.
Application security requirements can specify correct authentication algorithm use but do not guarantee correct implementation.
Secure coding practices reduce the likelihood of incorrect authentication algorithm implementation.
Security testing can detect flawed authentication implementations but does not prevent them by itself.
Secure authentication control directly requires correct implementation of authentication algorithms.