VMware has issued patches for two vulnerabilities that can threaten enterprise network operations. The most severe flaw has a CVSS threat score of 9.8. VMware is advising customers to upgrade or patch its Aria for Network Operations software because of potential security problems. VMware Aria is the vendor’s multi-cloud management platform that integrates previously separate VMware services such as vRealize Automation, vRealize Operations, vRealize Network Insight, and CloudHealth. A single Aria Hub console provides centralized views and controls and lets customers see and manage the entire multi-cloud environment. The vulnerabilities are in Aria Operations for Networks, a monitoring component that can find the cause of application delays based on TCP traffic latency and retransmissions and trigger alerts on the applications dashboard. Specifically, VMware said Aria Operations for Networks contains two vulnerabilities. The first and most severe is an Authentication Bypass weakness due to a lack of unique cryptographic key generation. VMware rated this issue in the “critical severity range” with a maximum Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) score of 9.8 out of 10. The second is an arbitrary file write vulnerability, which has a CVSS threat score of 7.2. With the authentication weakness, a malicious actor with network access to Aria Operations for Networks could bypass Secure Sockets Shell (SSH) authentication to gain access to the Aria Operations for Networks command line interface, which could unleash all manner of control problems, VMware stated. With the file write vulnerability, an authenticated attacker with administrative access to VMware Aria Operations for Networks can write files to arbitrary locations resulting in remote code execution, VMware stated. VMware warned that Aria Operations for Networks On-Prem versions 6.2 / 6.3 / 6.4 / 6.5.1 / 6.6 / 6.7 / 6.8 / 6.9 / 6.10 are impacted by the vulnerabilities and said that upgrading to version 6.11 fixes the problems. Customers can also download patches for the vulnerabilities here. Related content analysis What is a virtual machine, and why are they so useful? Many of today’s IT innovations have their roots in virtual machines (VM) and their ability to separate software from hardware. By Keith Shaw May 03, 2024 9 mins Virtualization Data Center Networking analysis What is DNS and how does it work? The Domain Name System resolves the names of internet sites with their underlying IP addresses, adding efficiency and security in the process. By Josh Fruhlinger and Keith Shaw May 03, 2024 11 mins Internet Networking news Appeal court overturns $1.6bn mainframe software ‘poaching’ ruling against IBM AT&T ‘independently decided” to replace BMC software, the appeals court found. By John Leyden May 03, 2024 1 min Mainframes news Cisco, Red Hat extend networking, AI integrations Cisco and Red Hat will demo new network product integrations and introduce AI validated designs at the upcoming Red Hat Summit 2024. By Michael Cooney May 03, 2024 4 mins Network Virtualization Cloud Computing Networking PODCASTS VIDEOS RESOURCES EVENTS NEWSLETTERS Newsletter Promo Module Test Description for newsletter promo module. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe