Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2016-7456


VMware vSphere Data Protection (VDP) 5.5.x though 6.1.x has an SSH private key with a publicly known password, which makes it easier for remote attackers to obtain login access via an SSH session.


Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a CRITICAL severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.8, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from vmware organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2016, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.


Published

2016-12-29T09:59:00.540

Last Modified

2025-04-12T10:46:40.837

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.0: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

  • Access Vector: NETWORK
  • Access Complexity: LOW
  • Authentication: NONE
  • Confidentiality Impact: COMPLETE
  • Integrity Impact: COMPLETE
  • Availability Impact: COMPLETE
Exploitability Score

10.0

Impact Score

10.0

Weaknesses
  • Type: Primary
    CWE-255

Affected Vendors & Products
Type Vendor Product Version/Range Vulnerable?
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.5.1 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.5.5 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.5.6 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.5.7 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.5.8 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.5.9 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.5.10 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.5.11 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.8.0 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.8.1 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.8.2 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.8.3 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 5.8.4 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 6.0.0 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 6.0.1 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 6.0.2 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 6.0.3 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 6.0.4 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 6.1.0 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 6.1.1 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 6.1.2 Yes
Application vmware vsphere_data_protection 6.1.3 Yes

References

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For vmware's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.