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cve

CVE-2024-37079: vCenter Server Under Active Attack

Security Substrate

— 6 min read

CVE-2024-37079: vCenter Server Under Active Attack

CVE ID: CVE-2024-37079

Severity: CRITICAL | CVSS: 9.8

Sources: 2 different security sources

Status: ACTIVELY EXPLOITED - Added to CISA KEV Catalog

Let Me Explain What Happened

My friends, we need to talk about a serious situation that's unfolding right now. VMware vCenter Server—the central management platform that many organizations use to control their virtual infrastructure—has a critical vulnerability that attackers are actively exploiting in the wild. On January 23, 2026, CISA added this vulnerability to their Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means this isn't a theoretical risk anymore. Real attackers are using this flaw right now to break into systems. If you're running vCenter Server, this needs your immediate attention.

A Bit More Detail

Here's what's going on under the hood: vCenter Server has a heap-overflow vulnerability in how it implements the DCERPC protocol—a communication protocol that allows different parts of the system to talk to each other. Think of it like a conversation between two people, but someone figured out how to say a special phrase that causes the listener to malfunction. An attacker with network access to your vCenter Server can send a specially crafted network packet that overflows a memory buffer, potentially giving them complete control of the system. This is what we call remote code execution, and it's about as serious as vulnerabilities get.

The Technical Specifics

  • Attack Vector: Network (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
  • Attack Complexity: Low - No special conditions required
  • Privileges Required: None - Attacker doesn't need any credentials
  • User Interaction: None - Completely automated attack
  • Affected Products: Broadcom VMware vCenter Server (specific versions detailed in vendor advisory)
  • CWE Classification: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write)
  • Impact: Complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability
  • Exploitation Status: Active exploitation confirmed by CISA

Why This Matters So Much

Let me put this in perspective for you. vCenter Server is the crown jewel of VMware infrastructure—it's the central control point for managing virtual machines, hosts, and entire data centers. If an attacker gains control of your vCenter Server, they effectively control your entire virtual infrastructure. They can:

  • Access and exfiltrate data from any virtual machine in your environment
  • Deploy malicious virtual machines to establish persistence
  • Shut down critical services and cause widespread disruption
  • Move laterally throughout your network with elevated privileges
  • Modify configurations to maintain long-term access

The CVSS score of 9.8 out of 10 tells us this is as critical as it gets. The fact that it requires no authentication, no user interaction, and can be exploited remotely over the network makes it a perfect target for automated scanning and exploitation. And now that CISA has confirmed active exploitation, we know attackers are already using this in real-world attacks.

The Timeline: How This Unfolded

This vulnerability was originally disclosed by Broadcom on June 18, 2024, in their security advisory. For several months, it was a known vulnerability that organizations needed to patch, but there was no evidence of active exploitation. That changed dramatically on January 23, 2026, when CISA added CVE-2024-37079 to their Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. CISA doesn't make this designation lightly—they only add vulnerabilities when they have credible evidence that attackers are actively using them in the wild.

What You Should Do About This

I know security incidents can feel overwhelming, but let's break this down into manageable steps. Here's exactly what you need to do:

  • Right Now (Emergency Response):
    • Identify all vCenter Server instances: Create an inventory of every vCenter Server in your environment. Don't forget about test, development, or isolated environments—attackers often target these less-monitored systems first.
    • Check for signs of compromise: Review vCenter Server logs for unusual network connections, unexpected administrative actions, or suspicious authentication attempts. Look for connections to the DCERPC service from unexpected IP addresses.
    • Implement network segmentation: If you haven't already, restrict network access to vCenter Server to only trusted management networks. Use firewall rules to block access from untrusted networks immediately.
    • Monitor for scanning activity: Watch for unusual network traffic patterns targeting your vCenter Server, particularly crafted packets aimed at the DCERPC protocol.
  • For the Long Term (Remediation):
    • Apply vendor patches immediately: Visit the Broadcom security advisory at the link provided below. Follow their guidance for patching your specific version of vCenter Server. Test the patches in a non-production environment first if possible, but don't delay deployment—this is being actively exploited.
    • Review access controls: Ensure that only authorized personnel and systems can reach your vCenter Server. Implement multi-factor authentication for all administrative access.
    • Enable enhanced logging: Configure comprehensive logging for vCenter Server and ensure logs are sent to a centralized SIEM or log management system for correlation and alerting.
    • Conduct a security assessment: After patching, perform a thorough security review to ensure no compromise occurred before remediation.
    • Follow CISA's required action: CISA has issued specific guidance for federal agencies, but all organizations should follow their recommendations as best practice.

Detection and Hunting Guidance

If you're a security analyst or incident responder, here are some specific things to look for:

  • Network indicators: Monitor for unusual network connections to TCP ports associated with DCERPC services on vCenter Server. Look for connection attempts from unexpected source IPs or geographic locations.
  • Log analysis: Search vCenter Server logs for authentication anomalies, privilege escalation attempts, or configuration changes made by unexpected accounts or at unusual times.
  • Process monitoring: Watch for unexpected child processes spawned by vCenter Server services, which could indicate successful exploitation and code execution.
  • File integrity: Check for unauthorized modifications to vCenter Server binaries or configuration files.

Going Deeper: Understanding the Vulnerability Class

For those of you who want to understand the technical details, let's talk about what a heap-overflow vulnerability really means. The heap is a region of memory that programs use for dynamic memory allocation—when a program needs memory while it's running, it requests space from the heap. A heap-overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a heap buffer than it was designed to hold, causing the extra data to overflow into adjacent memory regions.

In the case of CVE-2024-37079, the vulnerability exists in vCenter Server's implementation of the DCERPC (Distributed Computing Environment / Remote Procedure Call) protocol. DCERPC is a protocol that allows programs to execute procedures on remote systems as if they were local. When vCenter Server processes certain DCERPC requests, it doesn't properly validate the size of incoming data before copying it into a heap buffer. An attacker can exploit this by sending a specially crafted DCERPC packet with more data than the buffer can hold.

The CWE-787 classification (Out-of-bounds Write) tells us this is a memory corruption vulnerability where the software writes data past the end of an intended buffer. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can allow attackers to overwrite critical memory structures, redirect program execution, and ultimately execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the vulnerable service.

The Broader Context

This vulnerability is part of a concerning trend we've seen over the past few years: attackers increasingly targeting virtualization infrastructure and management platforms. vCenter Server, Hyper-V managers, and similar systems have become high-value targets because compromising them provides access to entire virtual environments. Organizations have done a good job hardening individual servers and workstations, so attackers are moving up the stack to target the infrastructure that manages those systems.

The fact that this vulnerability requires no authentication and can be exploited remotely makes it particularly attractive for both opportunistic attackers running automated scans and sophisticated threat actors conducting targeted operations. Once CISA adds a vulnerability to the KEV catalog, we typically see a significant uptick in exploitation attempts as more attackers add it to their toolkits.

My Advice to You

I know it's frustrating when critical vulnerabilities like this emerge, especially in infrastructure components that are supposed to be secure and stable. But here's the thing: the security community identified this vulnerability, vendors developed patches, and organizations like CISA are providing clear guidance. The tools to protect yourself are available—now it's about execution.

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. If you can't patch immediately due to change control processes or testing requirements, implement compensating controls like network segmentation and enhanced monitoring. But make patching your top priority. This isn't a vulnerability you can ignore or defer.

And remember: security is a journey, not a destination. Every vulnerability we address makes our systems more resilient. Every incident we respond to makes us better prepared for the next one. You're doing important work protecting your organization's infrastructure.

Where I Found This Information

Note: This is automated security intelligence based on multiple authoritative sources. The active exploitation status was confirmed by CISA on January 23, 2026. Always test patches in a non-production environment when possible, but given the active exploitation, prioritize rapid deployment. Stay safe out there, and don't hesitate to reach out to your security community if you need help responding to this threat.

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