What is CVE-2026-59309?

CVE-2026-59309 is vCenter authentication-bypass vulnerability. The supplied enrichment data classifies it as Auth Bypass mapped to CWE-303 CWE-303.

Which versions are affected?

Affected product and version evidence is listed in the product table above. Current public advisories should be checked for exact version scope before patch targeting is finalized.

Is there active exploitation?

Active exploitation is not confirmed from current sources for CVE-2026-59309. If exploitation is not confirmed from current sources, teams should document that status and continue monitoring KEV, vendor, and telemetry updates.

No. CVE-2026-59309 is not listed in CISA KEV in the supplied enrichment data. KEV status should be monitored because it can change after initial disclosure or after exploitation becomes publicly confirmed.

Is there a public exploit?

A public PoC is not confirmed from current sources for CVE-2026-59309. Public exploit or PoC availability should raise triage priority, especially for exposed or business-critical systems.

How can defenders detect it?

Start with web/proxy/WAF logs, application logs, network IDS/IPS, identity provider logs, authentication audit logs where available. Look for vulnerability-class behavior, product errors, suspicious authentication events, exploit probes, and abnormal process activity based only on evidence that applies to the affected product.

How should teams prioritize it?

Prioritize CVE-2026-59309 using CVSS 9.8, EPSS 8%, KEV status, public PoC status, and asset exposure. Internet-facing, privileged, or business-critical deployments should be handled first.

Are workarounds available?

The supplied mitigation guidance says to apply vendor patches and restrict external exposure until fixed. Fixed-version evidence is listed in the mitigation section above.

Which threat actors are linked publicly?

No public threat actor linkage is confirmed from current sources. Do not attribute exploitation to a threat actor unless the source evidence explicitly supports that linkage.

What should be done in the next 24 hours?

Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations. Prioritize based on EPSS, PoC availability, and external exposure. Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class. Open remediation tickets with affected assets, owners, evidence status, and detection coverage so decisions are traceable.

criticalAuth Bypass

CVE-2026-59309

CVE-2026-59309 — vCenter authentication-bypass vulnerability

VMware vCenter contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in the VMware Directory Service. A malicious actor with network access to vCenter may exploit this issue to bypass authentication and gain unauthorized access to the system.

Published Jul 30, 2026Updated Aug 25, 2026Sources: NVD, VMware (CNA)

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the scoring sources call it.

Exploitation

Unreported

no source claims exploitation

EPSS

chance of exploitation in 30 days

Affects

VMware

13 products listed

CVSS base

9.8

critical

CISA SSVC assessment

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses · SSVC 2.0.3. A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

CISA

Exploitation

None

none · proof-of-concept · active

Automatable

Yes

can an attacker script all four kill-chain steps

Technical impact

Total

partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

The vendor's own words where we have them.

Upgrade Cloud Foundation to a fixed release. Apply vendor patches per advisory and restrict external exposure of the affected component until patched.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record's own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found.

Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations.
Prioritize based on EPSS, PoC availability, and external exposure.
Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and version as the advisories word them.

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status
VMware	Cloud Foundation	9.1.x.x	Vulnerable
VMware	Cloud Foundation	9.0.x.x	Vulnerable
VMware	Cloud Foundation	5.x	Vulnerable
VMware	vSphere Foundation	9.1.x.x	Vulnerable
VMware	vSphere Foundation	9.0.x.x	Vulnerable
VMware	vCenter	9.1.x.x to < 9.1.0.0300	Vulnerable
VMware	vCenter	9.0.x.x to < 9.0.2.0100	Vulnerable
VMware	vCenter	8.0 to < 8.0 U3k	Vulnerable
VMware	Telco Cloud Infrastructure	3.0	Vulnerable
VMware	Telco Cloud Platform	5.1.x	Vulnerable
VMware	Telco Cloud Platform	5.0.x	Vulnerable
VMware	Telco Cloud Platform	4.x	Vulnerable

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Availability

High

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Scope

Unchanged

Attack Complexity

Low

Attack Vector

Network

Privileges Req

None

User Interaction

None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

Score	Version	Severity	Expl.	Impact	Source
9.8	CVSS 3.1	critical	3.9	5.9	vmware.com (CNA), VMware (CNA)

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Weakness & attack patterns

CWE-303

Inferred from the weakness class — not observed against this CVE.

CAPEC-115 · Authentication BypassCAPEC-94 · Adversary in the Middle

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not rules we have tested.

Prioritize edge telemetry for network-reachable Cloud Foundation, vSphere Foundation, vCenter, Telco Cloud Infrastructure, Telco Cloud Platform.

web/proxy/WAF logsapplication logsnetwork IDS/IPSidentity provider logsauthentication audit logs

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first — with the readings a source repeats on a schedule counted underneath rather than listed.

2026
Added · CVSS 3.1 9.8 (AV:N)
Aug 25, 2026 · NVD
Initial · CVE published
Jul 30, 2026 · NVD

References

1 on the record

support.broadcom.com/web/ecx/support-content-notification/-/external/content/SecurityAdvisories/0/38017
Vendor Advisory

Elsewhere on this site

VMwareevery CVE for this vendor
Auth Bypasssame class
CWE-303other pages naming this weakness

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record1

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-59309 is vCenter authentication-bypass vulnerability, a critical vulnerability affecting Cloud Foundation, vSphere Foundation, vCenter, Telco Cloud Infrastructure, Telco Cloud Platform from VMware. The current evidence does not list it in CISA KEV, and the exploit status is: Active exploitation is not confirmed from current sources for CVE-2026-59309. Public exploit evidence is: A public PoC is not confirmed from current sources for CVE-2026-59309. The affected-version evidence is listed in the key facts and affected products tables. Defenders should first verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run those versions, then apply vendor patches or mitigations, restrict reachable attack surface, and preserve logs for detection review. CVSS 9.8 describes technical severity, while EPSS 8% helps estimate near-term exploit likelihood; neither replaces asset context. Unknown fields should remain explicit in tickets, and threat actor, IOC, victimology, or payload claims should not be added unless a cited source supports them. Monitor CISA KEV, vendor advisories, NVD changes, public PoC repositories, and internal telemetry for update triggers.