CVE-2025-41245 is an information disclosure vulnerability identified in VMware Aria Operations version 8.18.x, classified under CWE-1188, which pertains to improper access control leading to exposure of sensitive information. The vulnerability allows a malicious actor with non-administrative privileges—meaning the attacker does not need full administrative rights but must be authenticated—to access credentials belonging to other users of the Aria Operations platform. This platform is widely used for IT operations management, including monitoring and analytics of cloud and on-premises environments. The vulnerability arises from insufficient access control mechanisms that fail to properly segregate credential data among users. Exploitation requires network access (AV:N) and low attack complexity (AC:L), with no user interaction needed (UI:N). The scope remains unchanged (S:U), and the impact is primarily on confidentiality (C:H), with no impact on integrity or availability. Although no patches have been released at the time of publication and no exploits are known in the wild, the exposure of credentials could allow lateral movement or privilege escalation within affected environments. The vulnerability was reserved in April 2025 and published in late September 2025, indicating a recent discovery. Organizations using VMware Aria Operations 8.18.x should be aware of this risk and prepare to apply vendor patches once available.

For European organizations, the disclosure of user credentials within VMware Aria Operations can lead to significant confidentiality breaches, enabling attackers to impersonate legitimate users and potentially access sensitive operational data or escalate privileges. This could compromise the security of IT operations management, affecting cloud and hybrid environments that rely on Aria Operations for monitoring and analytics. Given the critical role of Aria Operations in infrastructure management, unauthorized access could facilitate further attacks such as data exfiltration, sabotage, or disruption of services indirectly. The medium CVSS score reflects that while the vulnerability does not directly impact system integrity or availability, the exposure of credentials can have cascading effects on organizational security posture. Sectors such as finance, energy, telecommunications, and government agencies in Europe that depend on VMware solutions are particularly at risk. The absence of known exploits provides a window for proactive mitigation, but the risk remains significant due to the potential for insider threats or compromised accounts to exploit this vulnerability.

1. Immediately review and restrict user privileges within VMware Aria Operations to the minimum necessary, ensuring that non-administrative users have no access to credential storage or management functions. 2. Implement strict monitoring and logging of credential access and user activities within Aria Operations to detect anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. 3. Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all users accessing Aria Operations to reduce the risk of credential misuse. 4. Segregate duties and apply role-based access control (RBAC) rigorously to limit exposure of sensitive information. 5. Prepare to apply vendor patches promptly once released; maintain communication with VMware for updates on patch availability. 6. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focused on access controls within Aria Operations environments. 7. Educate users about the importance of credential security and the risks of credential sharing or reuse. 8. Consider network segmentation to isolate Aria Operations management interfaces from broader network access, reducing attack surface.