# CVE-2022-31678: VMware Cloud Foundation (NSX-V) - XXE

> Live exploitation tracking for CVE-2022-31678 by the CrowdSec Live Exploit Tracker, built from real-world attack data crowdsourced from CrowdSec's global network.

Page: https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2022-31678

## Key facts

- **Exploitation phase:** Limited Exploitation. The vulnerability is known but shows very limited attacker interest or exploitation activity.
- **CVSS score:** 9.1
- **Public exploit available:** Yes
- **Affected products:** VMware Cloud Foundation (NSX-V)
- **Weaknesses:** CWE-611 (Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference)
- **Tags:** enterprise_software

## Description

VMware Cloud Foundation (NSX-V) contains an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability. On VCF 3.x instances with NSX-V deployed, this may allow a user to exploit this issue leading to a denial-of-service condition or unintended information disclosure.

## CrowdSec analysis

[CVE-2022-31678](https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/CVE-2022-31678) is an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in VMware Cloud Foundation (NSX-V) that could allow remote attackers to trigger denial-of-service conditions or gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. This flaw exposes affected VCF 3.x instances with NSX-V deployed to significant security risks, including data leakage and service disruption.

CrowdSec has been tracking this vulnerability and its exploits since 30th of March 2026.

CrowdSec has not observed any significant exploitation activity targeting CVE-2022-31678 across its network. As a result, no community-driven trend analysis is available for this vulnerability at this time.

Attackers exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted XML payloads to the `/api/3.0/services/auth/token` endpoint, attempting to trigger XXE processing and exfiltrate data or cause denial-of-service.

## Timeline

- 2022-10-28: CVE Published. CVE-2022-31678 is published to NVD.
- 2026-03-30: Rule Released. CrowdSec releases a rule to detect CVE-2022-31678 exploitation attempts against the CrowdSec Network.

## References

- https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2022-0027.html
- https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2022/CVE-2022-31678.yaml

## Live exploitation data

The [Live Exploit Tracker page](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2022-31678) follows observed exploitation activity for CVE-2022-31678. [Request an API key](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/request-api-key) for full access to its exploitation timeline, attacking IP addresses and blocklists.