CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2023-20893 — The VMware vCenter Server contains a use-after-free vulnerability in the implementation of the DCERPC protocol

Critical CVSS 9.8

The VMware vCenter Server contains a use-after-free vulnerability in the implementation of the DCERPC protocol. A malicious actor with network access to vCenter Server may exploit this issue to execute arbitrary code on the underlying operating system that hosts vCenter Server.

Severity
Critical
CVSS
9.8 (3.1)
Published
2023-06-22
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-416

Affected products

  • vmware / vcenter_server
  • vmware / vcenter_server / 7.0

Showing 2 representative product identities from 33 source matches. Confirm exact affected versions with the linked vendor and NVD evidence.

Matched remediation archetype

Use-after-free, double free, and expired resource use

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Trace ownership, references, callbacks, asynchronous tasks, and teardown paths around the affected object or resource.
  • Identify reachable inputs and timing or state transitions that can release the object while references remain.
  • Confirm affected builds, allocators, feature flags, architectures, and process privileges.

Remediate safely

  • Apply the maintained ownership or lifetime fix and rebuild all artifacts containing the affected native code.
  • Use explicit ownership, safe reference management, cancellation and join semantics, and idempotent teardown.
  • Add deterministic lifetime tests plus isolated sanitizer and concurrency coverage for shutdown and error paths.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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