Privilege Escalation in VMware Aria Ops via vCenter Access
CVE-2026-22721 Published on February 25, 2026
VMware Aria Operations privilege escalation vulnerability
VMware Aria Operations contains a privilege escalation vulnerability. A malicious actor with privileges in vCenter to access Aria Operations may leverage this vulnerability to obtain administrative access in VMware Aria Operations. To remediate CVE-2026-22721, apply the patches listed in the 'Fixed Version' column of the 'Response Matrix' found in VMSA-2026-0001 https://support.broadcom.com/web/ecx/support-content-notification/-/external/content/SecurityAdvisories/0/36947 .
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-22721 can be exploited with network access, and requires user privileges. This vulnerability is consided to have a high level of attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have a high impact on confidentiality and integrity, and a small impact on availability.
Weakness Type
Improper Privilege Management
The software does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-22721
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Affected Versions
VMware Aria Operations:- Version 8.18.0 and below 8.18.6 is affected.
- Version 8.18.6 is unaffected.
- Version 4.0 and below 5.2.3 is affected.
- Version 9.0 and below 9.0.2 is affected.
- Version 5.2.3 is unaffected.
- Version 9.0.2 is unaffected.
- Version 4.0 and below 5.2.3 is affected.
- Version 5.2.3 is unaffected.
- Version 2.0 and below 5.2.3 is affected.
- Version 5.2.3 is unaffected.
Exploit Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.