CVE-2023-34045: VMware Fusion installer local privilege escalation

Severity: high (CVSS 7.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2023-10-20 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-269

Description

VMware Fusion(13.x prior to 13.5) contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability that occurs during installation for the first time (the user needs to drag or copy the application to a folder from the '.dmg' volume) or when installing an upgrade. A malicious actor with local non-administrative user privileges may exploit this vulnerability to escalate privileges to root on the system where Fusion is installed or being installed for the first time.

Affected products

VMware Fusion: from 13.0.0 before 13.5 — fixed in 13.5
VMware Fusion: from 13.x before 13.5 — fixed in 13.5

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: VMware Fusion 13.5; VMware Fusion 13.5. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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