All news with #vmware tag

🔒 VMware certifications are rising as IT teams confront hybrid, multi-cloud, and security complexity. Sponsored by VMUG, the article argues that certification has shifted from a resume boost to an operational requirement that helps reduce misconfiguration-driven breaches and embed security best practices. It highlights measurable financial value per certified employee, the role of VMUG Advantage in providing exam discounts and study resources, and how certifications support hiring, onboarding, and career resiliency.

🔒 Broadcom released updates addressing two high-severity VMware NSX vulnerabilities reported by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). The flaws (CVE-2025-41251 and CVE-2025-41252) permit unauthenticated attackers to enumerate valid usernames via a weak password-recovery flow and a separate enumeration vector, which could be used to support brute-force or unauthorized login attempts. Administrators should apply the vendor patches immediately and verify recovery workflows and logging.

⚠️ NVISO Labs says China-linked UNC5174 has been exploiting a newly patched local privilege escalation bug, CVE-2025-41244, in Broadcom VMware Tools and VMware Aria Operations since mid-October 2024. The vulnerability (CVSS 7.8) stems from a vulnerable get_version() regex that can match non-system binaries in writable directories (for example, /tmp/httpd) and cause metrics collection to execute them with elevated privileges. VMware and Broadcom have released fixes and mitigations; affected organizations should apply vendor patches and follow VMware's guidance, and Linux distributions will receive patched open-vm-tools packages from vendors.

🔔 Broadcom is changing its VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) licensing for hyperscalers to an exclusive bring-your-own subscription model effective November 1, 2025. For Google Cloud VMware Engine (GCVE) customers this means future clusters will require purchasing portable VCF subscriptions directly from Broadcom and using GCVE’s existing BYOL option. Google introduced a BYOL path for GCVE in 2024 and notes the managed service itself remains unchanged. Transition rules and timing differ for committed use discounts and on-demand nodes, so customers should review their commitments.

🔐 Chinese state-linked actors deployed a custom Linux/BSD backdoor called BRICKSTORM on network edge appliances to maintain persistent access into U.S. legal, technology, SaaS and outsourcing firms. These implants averaged 393 days of undetected dwell time and were used to pivot to VMware vCenter/ESXi hosts, Windows systems, and Microsoft 365 mailboxes. Mandiant and Google TAG attribute the activity to UNC5221 and have released a scanner and hunting guidance to locate affected appliances.

🌐 Amazon EVS now supports VMware HCX migrations over the public internet using Elastic IP Addresses (EIPs) to provide stable endpoints and faster setup. This option supplements existing private connectivity methods such as AWS Direct Connect and VPN, enabling secure layer‑2 network stretch and workload migration when private links are unavailable. Public HCX connectivity is available in all AWS Regions where EVS is offered and can be a cost‑effective alternative for workloads that do not require private connection performance.

🔍 Cyber threat group Scattered Spider has been linked to a new campaign targeting financial services, according to ReliaQuest. The attackers gained access by socially engineering an executive and abusing Azure AD self-service password reset, then moved laterally via Citrix and VPN to compromise VMware ESXi. They escalated privileges by resetting a Veeam service account, assigning Azure Global Administrator rights, and attempted data extraction from Snowflake and AWS. The activity contradicts the group's retirement claims and suggests regrouping or rebranding.

🔐 Team-wide VMware certification acts as a force multiplier for security, operations, and talent retention. Certified teams share a common language around architecture, reduce misconfigurations, and respond to incidents faster. Expertise in vSphere, NSX, vSAN, and cloud foundations teaches not just deployment but secure, scalable configuration. Programs like VMUG Advantage make broad certification practical with labs, exam vouchers, and personal-use licenses.