VMware is a major player in the virtualization and cloud infrastructure world, powering huge numbers of enterprise networks. But even big names aren’t immune to security flaws. That’s what CVE-2022-22961 is all about — a subtle “information disclosure” bug that affects VMware Workspace ONE Access, Identity Manager, and vRealize Automation. If you run these products, especially in public-facing environments, you need to know how this bug can leak sensitive data — and how an attacker might exploit it.

What’s CVE-2022-22961?

This vulnerability is related to how certain VMware products handle error messages and responses. In some situations, the system returns too much information in its response. What kind of information? Specifically, the hostname of the target system.

At first glance this may seem minor, but attackers can piece together this info with other vulnerabilities or use it to identify and target victims during reconnaissance.

- CVE ID: CVE-2022-22961

References:

- VMware Advisory VMSA-2022-0009
 - NIST Vulnerability Database Entry

How Does the Exploit Work?

When a malicious actor sends a specially crafted request to a vulnerable VMware instance, if the system triggers a certain error condition, the HTTP response may include the actual hostname of the server in the body or headers.

Example Scenario

Imagine an attacker finds your externally accessible Workspace ONE Access portal. They then send a malformed authentication request or visit an improper API endpoint. Instead of a generic error, the server may leak:

{
  "error": "Internal Server Error on host VRA-DC01.mycompany.local"
}

Now, the attacker knows the internal hostname (VRA-DC01.mycompany.local) and, possibly, clues about your domain naming conventions.

Detailed Exploit Example

Let’s say you have a vulnerable version of Workspace ONE Access running on https://access.example.com.

Use cURL to purposely send malformed credentials or visit a bad URL

curl -i -k https://access.example.com/SAAS/API/1./invalidendpoint

Look for a 400 or 500 series HTTP error. In the body, you might see output like

{
  "error": "Processing failed at host WSA-ACCESS-SVR01.corp.local"
}

Or, in the HTTP headers

X-Internal-Host: WSA-ACCESS-SVR01.corp.local

Internal Hostname: Valuable for crafting targeted attacks and phishing.

- Potential Domain Info: Can reveal clues about your network structure, possible AD integration, etc.

Why Does It Matter?

It may not be as powerful as a remote code execution flaw, but reconnaissance is a critical stage in every real-world attack. Hostname leaks help attackers:

Map Internal Networks: Especially useful for later phase attacks (lateral movement, phishing).

- Tailor Campaigns: For example, an email mentioning “Hey, we noticed unauthorized activity on VRA-DC01.mycompany.local” is convincing.
- Combine Bugs: Sometimes, knowing the hostname lets attackers more easily chain with other vulnerabilities (like SSRF, RCE, etc).

How to Fix

Update your systems. VMware addressed this issue in newer versions and patches.

- VMware Patch Download Page
- Official Workaround/Resolution (VMware KB)

Final Thoughts

*Seemingly* minor bugs, like CVE-2022-22961, can open the door for targeted attacks against your business. Attackers love slivers of information, and a hostname leak can be just what they need to make spear-phishing or internal exploits more effective.

Stay up-to-date, keep a close eye on the information your systems reveal – even in error messages – and take every detail seriously.

References

- VMware Security Advisory: VMSA-2022-0009
- NIST CVE Description
- Remediation Guide (KB)

Timeline

Published on: 04/13/2022 18:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 04/21/2022 16:37:00 UTC