Strategix Technology Solutions’ Professional Services Director Maziar Mahmoudi delves into the foundations of VMware CVEs - and their critical impact on digitally-driven businesses.
It is the era of the vulnerability. No company or technology is immune to the cyber-threats and the very well organised gangs that perpetuate them. This means it is critical that companies understand the threats and put measures in place to mitigate them.
In VMware, common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs) can impact services and products which is why they are regularly reported, and rated by security experts and researchers.
VMware has a dedicated security advisory platform – VMware Security Advisories – that breaks down all the critical CVEs and provides documentation for security professionals and organisations so they can protect against these threats. Addressing vulnerabilities at speed is key to ensuring the organisation doesn’t fall victim to an unexpected attack which makes it important to pay attention to these advisories and their level of severity.
What is a CVE?
Essentially, a CVE is any vulnerability found within a solution. On the VMware Security Advisories site, these are allocated a certain level of severity so you know how important it is that you address the vulnerability and the level of risk it poses. For example, VMSA-2023-0018.1 was a critical CVE found on 29 August 2023 and impacted Aria Operations for Networks.
How do they work?
VMWare issues a CVE identifier for a vulnerability when it meets certain criteria. According to the firm, a threat only achieves CVE status when it results in unexpected behaviour in VMware code or if it compromises a measure of confidentiality, integrity or availability. The company notifies customers of CVEs as soon as they meet these criteria to ensure that companies can rapidly address the issues and maintain a high level of security.
If your organisation detects a vulnerability within the code, you can then submit it directly to VMware’s security team using an encrypted email and it will then be tackled by the team. Critical CVEs are addressed as quickly as possible with VMWare working on a fix immediately, Important CVEs are delivered in the next planned maintenance cycle or release update, and Moderate to Low CVEs are fixed in the next planned product release.
Why should I care?
If your business understands the threats and is aware of vulnerabilities, it will be better prepared to mitigate the risks with proactive security approaches. You want to be able to continuously reap the benefits of your VMware investment, enjoying IT agility, flexibility and scalability without worrying about security vulnerabilities.
Strategix can provide you with superb support throughout your VMware lifecycle, including the monitoring and management of CVEs and ensuring your business is protected from vulnerabilities. Our close relationship with VMware ensures you gain access to essential insights and capabilities that reinforce your security posture and provide you with up-to-date insights and information.
Strategix is developing a free vulnerability checker (coming soon) so you can double-check if your VMware environment is secure. Powered by Hakware Archangel, the checker will send you a simple and clear vulnerability report that you can then address with our support.
