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WorkstationApplication · VMware

CVE-2007-1056

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 2007-02-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
VMware Workstation 5.5.3 build 34685 does not provide per-user restrictions on certain privileged actions, which allows local users to perform restricted operations such as changing system time, accessing hardware components, and stopping the "VMware tools service" service. NOTE: exploitation is simplified via (1) weak file permissions (Users = Read & Execute) for %PROGRAMFILES%\VMware; and weak registry key permissions (access by Users) for (2) vmmouse, (3) vmscsi, (4) VMTools, (5) vmx_svga, and (6) vmxnet in HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\; which allows local users to perform various privileged actions outside of the guest OS by executing certain files under %PROGRAMFILES%\VMware\VMware Tools, as demonstrated by (a) VMControlPanel.cpl and (b) vmwareservice.exe.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

VMware Workstation 5.5.3 lacks per-user restrictions on privileged operations due to weak ACLs. Local users with standard User privileges can Read/Execute files in %PROGRAMFILES%\VMware and modify registry keys under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ for vmmouse, vmscsi, VMTools, vmx_svga, and vmxnet, enabling execution of privileged operations like VMControlPanel.cpl and vmwareservice.exe to change system time, access hardware, or stop services.

MitigationUpgrade VMware Workstation to a version beyond 5.5.3 that enforces proper per-user restrictions and secure ACLs on program files and registry keys, or manually harden permissions on the affected VMware directories and registry keys to remove write access for standard users.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
WorkstationApplication
Affected:= 5.5.3_build_34685

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm VMware Workstation installation
    Check for VMware Workstation by examining %PROGRAMFILES%\VMware folder or looking for VMware services in the system. Use 'dir "%PROGRAMFILES%\VMware"' or check Registry: HKLM\SOFTWARE\VMware, Inc.\VMware Workstation
    Affected if The VMware Workstation directory or registry key exists on the system
  2. Identify installed VMware Workstation version
    Run 'vmware -v' or check the version in the registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\VMware, Inc.\VMware Workstation\InstallPath or examine the file properties of vmware.exe in the installation directory
    Affected if The version is exactly 5.5.3_build_34685 (only this specific build is affected)
  3. Check ACLs on VMware program directory
    Use icacls or a similar tool to examine permissions on %PROGRAMFILES%\VMware. Run 'icacls "%PROGRAMFILES%\VMware"' and verify if standard (non-admin) users have Write or Modify permissions
    Affected if Standard users have Write, Modify, or Full Control permissions to the VMware program folder
  4. Check registry key permissions for affected services
    Use regedit or icacls to examine permissions on HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\vmmouse, vmscsi, VMTools, vmx_svga, and vmxnet. Run 'reg query HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\vmmouse' and check ACLs with 'icacls' or registry permissions
    Affected if Standard users can write to any of these service registry keys (they can modify the service configuration)
  5. Verify vulnerable executable presence
    Check if VMControlPanel.cpl and vmwareservice.exe exist in the VMware installation directory. Use 'dir "%PROGRAMFILES%\VMware\vmwareservice.exe"' and 'dir "%PROGRAMFILES%\VMware\VMControlPanel.cpl"'
    Affected if These executables exist and are accessible to standard users (they perform privileged operations)

A system is affected if VMware Workstation 5.5.3_build_34685 is installed AND standard users have write access to the VMware program directory or can modify the affected service registry keys, allowing them to execute privileged operations.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade VMware Workstation to a version beyond 5.5.3 that enforces proper per-user restrictions and secure ACLs on program files and registry keys, or manually harden permissions on the affected VMware directories and registry keys to remove write access for standard users.

Fix this in Workstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2007-1056 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data