CVE-2025-41230 is a high-severity information disclosure vulnerability affecting VMware Cloud Foundation versions 4.5.x and 5.x. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-200, indicating exposure of sensitive information to unauthorized actors. Specifically, a malicious actor with network access to port 443 (typically HTTPS) on a vulnerable VMware Cloud Foundation deployment can exploit this flaw to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 reflects a high severity level, with an attack vector of network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction needed (UI:N), and a scope that remains unchanged (S:U). The impact is primarily on confidentiality (C:H), with no impact on integrity or availability. This suggests that an attacker can extract sensitive data without needing authentication or user interaction, making exploitation relatively straightforward if network access is available. VMware Cloud Foundation is a hybrid cloud platform integrating compute, storage, and network virtualization, widely used by enterprises to manage private and hybrid cloud environments. The vulnerability likely arises from improper access controls or information leakage in the management interfaces or APIs exposed on port 443. Although no known exploits are reported in the wild yet, the ease of exploitation and the critical nature of the data managed by VMware Cloud Foundation make this a significant risk. The absence of patch links indicates that a fix may not yet be publicly available, emphasizing the need for immediate mitigation and monitoring.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2025-41230 could be substantial. VMware Cloud Foundation is commonly deployed in enterprise data centers and cloud environments across Europe, supporting critical infrastructure and services. Unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information could include configuration details, credentials, or other data that attackers could leverage for further attacks, including lateral movement, privilege escalation, or targeted espionage. This could lead to breaches of personal data protected under GDPR, resulting in regulatory penalties and reputational damage. Additionally, exposure of sensitive operational data could disrupt business continuity and erode trust with customers and partners. Given the high confidentiality impact and the lack of required authentication, attackers could exploit this vulnerability remotely if they gain network access, including through compromised internal networks or misconfigured firewalls. The risk is heightened for organizations with hybrid cloud deployments that expose management interfaces to broader network segments or the internet.

To mitigate CVE-2025-41230, European organizations should implement the following specific measures: 1) Immediately restrict network access to port 443 on VMware Cloud Foundation management interfaces to trusted IP addresses only, using network segmentation and firewall rules to minimize exposure. 2) Employ VPNs or zero-trust network access (ZTNA) solutions to ensure that only authenticated and authorized users can reach management endpoints. 3) Monitor network traffic and logs for unusual access patterns or attempts to connect to port 443 on VMware Cloud Foundation systems. 4) Coordinate with VMware for timely updates and patches; subscribe to VMware security advisories to receive notifications about patches or workarounds as soon as they become available. 5) Conduct an internal audit of VMware Cloud Foundation deployments to identify any instances exposed to untrusted networks and remediate accordingly. 6) Implement strict role-based access controls and multi-factor authentication for all administrative access to reduce the risk of credential compromise that could be leveraged alongside this vulnerability. 7) Prepare incident response plans that include steps to contain and investigate potential exploitation of this vulnerability.