CVE-2025-22218 is a newly disclosed vulnerability in VMware Aria Operations for Logs (formerly vRealize Log Insight) that puts sensitive credentials at risk. This long post covers what happened, how attackers can exploit the flaw, code details, and how you can protect your log data and environment.

What is VMware Aria Operations for Logs?

VMware Aria Operations for Logs is a popular log management tool for IT environments running VMware products. Organizations use it to collect, analyze, and monitor log data across infrastructure—making it a crucial tool for admins and security analysts.

What's the Problem? (CVE-2025-22218 at a Glance)

A bug was discovered that allows View Only Admin users to read the stored credentials of other VMware products that are integrated into Aria Operations for Logs. This is an information disclosure vulnerability: even though these users are supposed to have limited permissions, they can dig out secrets that they definitely shouldn’t see, like API keys, LDAP bind credentials, or even vCenter usernames/passwords.

Disclosure Date: 2025-05-23 (hypothetical for this example)

- VMware Advisory: VMSA-2025-0036 (example link)

Attacker gets or abuses a "View Only Admin" account:

Maybe an insider, a compromised account, or someone promoted by mistake.

Logs into the Web UI:

The attacker logs into the VMware Aria Operations for Logs user interface.

Browses to integration settings:

Navigates to "Integrations" or similar settings where connections to other VMware products (like vSphere or NSX) are configured.

Views credential details:

Because of the flaw, the "View Only Admin" can see plain credentials for these integrations, which should normally be hidden or only available to higher-level admins.


## Example Vulnerable Code/Configuration

Depending on the version and deployment, the following kind of code could be used for fetching integration credentials:

# This is NOT actual VMware code, but a simplified example
def get_integration_credentials(user, integration_id):
    # Check if user has permissions
    if user.role in ["admin", "view-only-admin"]:
        creds = db.fetch("SELECT * FROM integrations WHERE id=?", integration_id)
        return creds['username'], creds['password']
    else:
        raise PermissionDenied("Only admins allowed")

Problem:
Both full admins and "view-only-admin" roles are allowed to fetch username and passwords of integrations. The "view-only-admin" is meant for just viewing logs, not secrets!

A secure code snippet should look like this

def get_integration_credentials(user, integration_id):
    if user.role == "admin":
        creds = db.fetch("SELECT * FROM integrations WHERE id=?", integration_id)
        return creds['username'], creds['password']
    else:
        raise PermissionDenied("Only admins allowed")

Let’s walk through what an attacker can do on a vulnerable system

1. Login as "View Only Admin" to https://loginsight.company.local
2. Click "Integrations" in the left menu
3. Choose "VMware vCenter" integration
4. Click "Edit"
5. Credential fields are not masked! The username and password are shown in plaintext
6. Copy and use credentials to access vCenter or other integrations

An Example HTTP API Request (fake endpoint for illustration)

curl -u viewadmin:Password123 \
    https://loginsight.company.local/api/integrations/vcenter/1

Response

{
  "integration": "vCenter",
  "username": "svc_vc_log",
  "password": "SuperSecretPwd!"
}

Why is This Dangerous?

- Lateral movement: Attackers can use these credentials to pivot to more valuable systems (like vCenter, NSX).
- Chained attacks: If the disclosed account has high privileges elsewhere, attackers can do real damage.
- Compliance danger: Automatic credential disclosure like this can lead to compliance issues (PCI, HIPAA, etc).

Patch Immediately:

VMware has released a patch for this issue. Get it at VMware Patch Portal and check the official advisory.

References

- Official VMware Advisory – VMSA-2025-0036 *(Example link)*
- Product Link – VMware Aria Operations for Logs
- VMware Patch Download Center
- Mitre CVE Record for CVE-2025-22218 *(Example link)*

Conclusion

CVE-2025-22218 proves that even "read-only" users can pose a threat if roles and access controls are not properly secured. If you’re using VMware Aria Operations for Logs, update now, review your user roles, and rotate integration secrets. Don’t let a "View Only Admin" become the weak link in your cloud security!

Stay safe and patch quick! 🚨

*This post is exclusive: feel free to share, but always validate security flaws in a safe environment and never attack networks you don’t own or have explicit permission to test.*

Timeline

Published on: 01/30/2025 15:15:18 UTC