CVE-2026-22716 is classified as a CWE-787 out-of-bounds write vulnerability affecting VMware Workstation versions 25H1 and below across all supported platforms. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of memory boundaries within the Workstation software, allowing a user with non-administrative privileges inside a guest virtual machine to write outside the intended memory buffer. This memory corruption can lead to the termination of specific VMware Workstation processes on the host system. Exploitation requires local access to the guest VM and some user interaction, but no administrative privileges or elevated access are necessary within the guest. The vulnerability impacts the integrity and availability of the host Workstation processes, potentially causing denial of service or disruption of virtual machine operations. Although no public exploits have been reported, the flaw poses a risk in multi-tenant or shared environments where guest VM users might be untrusted. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.0 reflects a medium severity, with attack vector local, low attack complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required, and scope changed due to impact on host processes. VMware has not yet published patches, so mitigation currently relies on access controls and monitoring.

The primary impact of CVE-2026-22716 is on the availability and integrity of VMware Workstation host processes. An attacker with access to a guest VM can cause certain Workstation processes to terminate unexpectedly, potentially leading to denial of service conditions for virtual machines running on the host. This can disrupt development, testing, or production environments relying on VMware Workstation, causing operational downtime and loss of productivity. Since the vulnerability does not allow privilege escalation or direct host compromise, the confidentiality impact is minimal. However, in environments where multiple users share access to guest VMs, an attacker could intentionally disrupt services or cause instability. Organizations relying heavily on VMware Workstation for critical workflows or multi-user environments are at greater risk. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate threat but does not eliminate the need for proactive mitigation.

1. Restrict guest VM user permissions to the minimum necessary, avoiding untrusted or unnecessary users with access to guest systems. 2. Monitor VMware Workstation processes for unexpected terminations or crashes to detect potential exploitation attempts. 3. Implement host-level security controls such as application whitelisting and process monitoring to detect anomalous behavior. 4. Once VMware releases patches addressing CVE-2026-22716, apply them promptly across all affected Workstation installations. 5. Consider isolating critical virtual machines on separate hosts or using alternative virtualization solutions until patches are available. 6. Educate users about the risks of interacting with untrusted content or software within guest VMs to reduce user interaction exploitation vectors. 7. Regularly audit and update virtualization software to maintain security posture.