Broadcom, an infrastructure technology company, issued a security alert in early March of this year, warning of critical zero-day vulnerabilities in its VMware products, including ESXi, Workstation, and Fusion. These flaws have severity scores as high as 9.3 out of 10 and are already being exploited by attackers.
According to Shadowserver Foundation, a nonprofit group that monitors cybersecurity threats, more than 40,000 ESXi servers are exposed. The most affected countries are China, France, and the United States.
Virtual machines (VMs) are essential in running key systems like email, databases, and financial tools. If attackers gain access through a security flaw, they can steal sensitive data or install ransomware. This not only risks business operations but can also impact connected partners and customers.
The damage could extend beyond the affected company, affecting supply chains and triggering legal and financial consequences — especially in heavily regulated industries like healthcare and finance.
According to Synology, “Companies need to strengthen their disaster recovery plans to reduce risks and ensure fast recovery in case of an attack.”
Synology said its ActiveProtect solution can help protect VMware environments. “ActiveProtect can detect and automatically back up virtual machines, even those using the free version of ESXi,” according to Synology.
The solution also verifies the integrity of backup data and allows for quick recovery in minutes, helping companies avoid long downtimes. If VMware environments are compromised, data can be restored to another system like Microsoft Hyper-V.
“ActiveProtect offers flexible recovery and does not charge extra fees per virtual machine, giving companies a cost-effective way to secure their systems,” Synology said.
With cyberattacks continuing to rise, Synology stressed the importance of being ready.
“Protecting virtual machines is no longer optional—it’s a business necessity,” the company said.