Cloaked and Covert: Uncovering UNC3886 Espionage Operations
CVE-2022-22948 in VMware vCenter was exploited to obtain encrypted credentials in the vCenter's postgresDB for further access.
CVE-2022-22948 KEVPublic exploit Medium · 6.5 EPSS 13.3%
VMware vCenter Server Incorrect Default File Permissions Vulnerability
VMware · vCenter Server
Summary
Sentence 1: VMware vCenter Server contains an information disclosure flaw caused by improperly set file permissions. Sentence 2: An attacker with non-administrative access to the vCenter Server, reachable over the network without user interaction, can read sensitive information.
Official description · NVD
The vCenter Server contains an information disclosure vulnerability due to improper permission of files. A malicious actor with non-administrative access to the vCenter Server may exploit this issue to gain access to sensitive information.
Priority scorePatchfirst’s 0 to 100 ranking. It adds points for CISA KEV listing, ransomware use, EPSS, threat reports, public exploit code and CVSS. Every CVE page shows the breakdown. Breakdown
73.0 / 100
- Exploited
- Yes, in CISA KEV
- Reports
- 2
- Tactics
- 5/15
How an attack unfolds
Based on MITRE ATT&CKA public catalogue of the techniques attackers use, maintained by MITRE. Patchfirst uses it to describe what attackers do with a vulnerability. mappings. Select a step to see the evidence.Exploitation timelineDated milestones for a CVE: when it was disclosed, when exploit code became public, when exploitation was confirmed, and when threat reports named it.
First seen exploited 2 years after disclosure. Public exploit code (PoC-in-GitHub) was available 5 months before disclosure.
- Public exploit codePoC-in-GitHub5 mo before
- Disclosedday 0
- First seen exploitedVulnCheck KEV evidence+2 yrs
- Added to CISA KEVEU database agrees+2 yrs
CISA KEV listing is when exploitation was confirmed, not necessarily the first attack.
MITRE ATT&CKA public catalogue of the techniques attackers use, maintained by MITRE. Patchfirst uses it to describe what attackers do with a vulnerability. techniques
3 TechniqueOne specific attacker behaviour in MITRE ATT&CK, such as T1190 “Exploit Public-Facing Application”. IDs with a dot, like T1059.004, are sub-techniques., grouped by TacticThe attacker’s goal at a stage of an attack in MITRE ATT&CK, such as Initial Access or Persistence. Each technique belongs to one or more tactics. in kill-chain order 3Initial AccessTA0001
MITRE CTID mapping of the KEV entry · how it is exploited
This vulnerability is exploited by an adversary who has gained access to a valid account on the vCenter Server. The adversary can gain access to unencrypted Postgres credentials on the server, which grants the adversary access to the vCenter's internal database where the vpxuser account passphrase is stored. Adversaries can leverage this information to decrypt the vpxuser password, which will grant them root privileges.
Privilege EscalationTA0004
MITRE CTID mapping of the KEV entry · follow-on activity
Credential AccessTA0006
MITRE CTID mapping of the KEV entry · primary impact
Detection
0 rules for this CVE · 92 general rules for its techniquesRules for this CVE
0Sigma ruleAn open, vendor-neutral detection rule for log data. Security teams convert Sigma rules into searches for their own SIEM. that reference CVE-2022-22948 directly.CVE-specific rules are not available in this build. Search SigmaHQ ↗
General rules for this CVE’s techniques
These detect the technique in general, not this specific vulnerability.
Valid AccountsT107856 general rules
- Win Susp Computer Name Containing Samtheadmincriticaltest
- Account Created And Deleted Within A Close Time Framehightest
- Activity From Anonymous IP Addresshightest
- Atypical Travelhightest
- Azure AD Threat Intelligencehightest
- Azure Subscription Permission Elevation Via AuditLogshightest
- External Remote SMB Logon from Public IPhightest
- Impossible Travelhightest
Exploitation for Credential AccessT12125 general rules
- Audit CVE Eventcriticaltest
- GALLIUM IOCshightest
- Guacamole Two Users Sharing Session Anomalyhightest
- Kerberos Manipulationhightest
- Suspicious NTLM Authentication on the Printer Spooler Servicehightest
Exploitation for Privilege EscalationT106831 general rules
- Exploiting CVE-2019-1388criticalstable
- Audit CVE Eventcriticaltest
- HackTool - SysmonEOP Executioncriticaltest
- InstallerFileTakeOver LPE CVE-2021-41379 File Create Eventcriticaltest
- Possible Coin Miner CPU Priority Paramcriticaltest
- Potential CVE-2021-41379 Exploitation Attemptcriticaltest
- Potential SystemNightmare Exploitation Attemptcriticaltest
- Sudo Privilege Escalation CVE-2019-14287 - Builtincriticaltest
Sigma rules © SigmaHQ, Detection Rule License 1.1; linked, not reproduced.
What security researchers reported
Named in 2 threat reports2 reportsGoogle Mandiant2
Reports are matched by finding the exact id CVE-2022-22948 in their text; nobody has reviewed the match. One passage is shown per report, at most 320 characters, linked to the original.
VMware ESXi Zero-Day Used by Chinese Espionage Actor to Perform Privileged Guest Operations on Compromised Hypervisors
In March 2022, Pentera researcher Yuval Lazar published guidance related to the privilege escalation vulnerability, CVE-2022-22948, which described how the vpxuser credentials can be harvested on a vCenter server.
Also mentioned in 50 community threat pulses (AlienVault OTX)
Weaker evidencePulses are indicator collections that anyone can publish. A mention is not confirmation of exploitation.
- Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 29, 202628 Oct 2026
- Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 28, 202627 Oct 2026
- Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 27, 202626 Oct 2026
- Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 24, 202623 Oct 2026
- Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 23, 202622 Oct 2026
- Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 22, 202621 Oct 2026
- 44 more on OTX