{"id":"CVE-2026-41709","kind":"vulnerability","aliases":["CVE-2026-41709"],"related":[],"title":"VMware ESX contains an insufficient logging vulnerability","description":"Broadcom VMWare ESX contains an insufficient logging vulnerability that could allow a malicious actor with admin access to perform certain operations without being logged.\n\nCISA required action: Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.","summary":"Broadcom VMware ESX has an insufficient logging flaw that lets a malicious user with admin access perform some operations without them being logged. CISA lists it as actively exploited, so attackers are using it in the wild.","severity":"medium","cvss":2.7,"epss":0.00297,"exploited":true,"exploited_at":"2026-10-28T00:00:00+00:00","products":[{"name":"Broadcom VMware ESX","fixed":[],"affected":"","ecosystem":"vendor"}],"ecosystems":["vendor"],"tags":["exploited","hypervisor","infrastructure","self-hosted","vmware-esx"],"not_affected_if":["no-esx-hosts"],"how_to_check":"- unknown","fix":"- Apply the mitigations from Broadcom's vendor advisory, as CISA requires under BOD 26-04.\n- Follow CISA's Forensics Triage Requirements for affected hosts.\n- unknown for specific fixed ESX versions.","status":"open","published_at":"2026-07-30T14:16:57+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-28T20:01:38+00:00","triaged_at":"2026-10-28T20:02:52+00:00","updated_at":"2026-10-28T20:59:22+00:00","category":"infrastructure","confidence":0.6,"triage":{"at":"2026-10-28T20:02:52Z","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","output":{"fix":"- Apply the mitigations from Broadcom's vendor advisory, as CISA requires under BOD 26-04.\n- Follow CISA's Forensics Triage Requirements for affected hosts.\n- unknown for specific fixed ESX versions.","reach":"local","title":"VMware ESX: insufficient logging lets an admin act without a trace","impact":"medium","summary":"Broadcom VMware ESX has an insufficient logging flaw that lets a malicious user with admin access perform some operations without them being logged. CISA lists it as actively exploited, so attackers are using it in the wild.","category":"infrastructure","nicknames":[],"who_cares":["vmware-esx","hypervisor","self-hosted"],"confidence":0.6,"needs_auth":"yes","worst_case":"Admin-level actions on ESX go unlogged, hiding intrusion activity","analyst_note":"Find Broadcom's advisory for CVE-2026-41709 to get affected and fixed ESX versions and the exact mitigations; check the KEV entry's BOD 26-04 and forensics notes.","how_to_check":"- unknown","needs_analyst":true,"not_affected_if":["no-esx-hosts"],"who_is_affected":"Organizations running VMware ESX hosts where an attacker could already hold administrator access. The sources do not list affected or fixed versions. Teams that do not run ESX can skip it.","user_interaction":"no","needs_special_setup":"unknown","severity_if_unknown":"medium"},"cost_usd":0.000611,"input_tokens":3500,"output_tokens":522,"severity_before":"unknown"},"analyst_status":null,"analyst_note":null,"search":"'-04':104C,130C,161C '-2026':9A,12A '-41709':10A,13A '26':103C,129C,160C 'access':41B,79C 'accord':93C 'action':89C 'activ':53B 'actor':76C 'adher':157C 'admin':40B,78C 'allow':73C 'appli':90C 'applic':127C 'asset':151C 'attack':56B 'base':108C 'bod':102C,128C,159C 'broadcom':14A,26B,63C 'certain':82C 'cisa':49B,87C,100C,117C 'cloud':133C 'complianc':98C 'contain':3A,66C 'could':72C 'cve':8A,11A 'discontinu':136C 'ensur':97C,156C 'esx':2A,16A,25B,28B,65C 'evalu':149C 'exploit':17B,54B 'exposur':154C 'flaw':33B 'follow':126C 'forens':119C 'guidanc':115C,131C 'guidelin':163C 'host':22B 'hypervisor':18B 'infrastructur':19B 'instruct':96C 'insuffici':5A,31B,68C 'internet':153C 'let':35B 'list':50B 'log':6A,32B,48B,69C,86C 'malici':37B,75C 'mitig':91C,142C 'note':114C,125C 'oper':44B,83C 'patch':162C 'perform':42B,81C 'priorit':105C 'product':140C 'requir':88C,121C 'respons':147C 'risk':110C 'secur':106C 'see':111C,122C 'self':21B 'self-host':20B 'servic':134C 'stakehold':145C 'triag':120C 'unavail':144C 'updat':107C 'url':112C,123C 'use':58B,137C 'user':38B 'vendor':95C 'vmware':1A,15A,24B,27B,64C 'vmware-esx':23B 'vulner':7A,70C 'wild':62B 'without':45B,84C","nicknames":[],"mitigations":[],"who_affected":"Organizations running VMware ESX hosts where an attacker could already hold administrator access. The sources do not list affected or fixed versions. Teams that do not run ESX can skip it.","tier":"A","verified":{},"analyst_revisit_at":null,"first_public_at":"2026-07-30T14:16:57+00:00","kev":{"dateAdded":"2026-10-28","dueDate":"2026-11-11","requiredAction":"Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.","knownRansomwareCampaignUse":"Unknown"},"cvss_vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N","cvss_by":"security@vmware.com","poc_count":0,"sources":[{"source":"kev","external_id":"CVE-2026-41709","url":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?search_api_fulltext=CVE-2026-41709","severity":null,"published_at":"2026-10-28T00:00:00+00:00","modified_at":null,"first_seen_at":"2026-10-28T20:01:38+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-10-28T21:01:52+00:00","note":null},{"source":"nvd","external_id":"CVE-2026-41709","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-41709","severity":null,"published_at":"2026-07-30T14:16:57+00:00","modified_at":"2026-07-30T19:07:59+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-28T20:05:07+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-10-28T20:05:07+00:00","note":null},{"source":"epss","external_id":"CVE-2026-41709","url":"https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-41709","severity":null,"published_at":null,"modified_at":null,"first_seen_at":"2026-10-28T20:59:22+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-10-28T20:59:22+00:00","note":null}],"documents":[],"notice":"Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai"}