dbcve.org
Ace 2Application · VMware

CVE-2008-2098

MEDIUM · 6.9 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-06-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Heap-based buffer overflow in the VMware Host Guest File System (HGFS) in VMware Workstation 6 before 6.0.4 build 93057, VMware Player 2 before 2.0.4 build 93057, VMware ACE 2 before 2.0.2 build 93057, and VMware Fusion before 1.1.2 build 87978, when folder sharing is used, allows guest OS users to execute arbitrary code on the host OS via unspecified vectors.

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

Heap-based buffer overflow in VMware's Host Guest File System (HGFS) allows a malicious guest OS user to execute arbitrary code on the host OS when folder sharing is enabled. The overflow occurs in memory handling during HGFS operations, enabling a guest-to-host privilege escalation.

MitigationUpdate affected VMware products to Workstation 6.0.4+, Player 2.0.4+, ACE 2.0.2+, or Fusion 1.1.2+. Alternatively, disable folder sharing as a workaround until patches can be applied.

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
Ace 2Application
Affected:= 2.0= 2.01
FusionApplication
Affected:= 1.1= 1.1.1
Vmware Player 2Application
Affected:= 2.0= 2.01= 2.02= 2.03
Vmware WorkstationApplication
Affected:= 6.0.1= 6.0.2= 6.03
WorkstationApplication
Affected:= 6.0

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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:L/AC:M/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. Identify the installed VMware product
    Check the VMware application installed (Workstation, Player, Fusion, or Ace) and its exact version number. On Windows, look in Programs and Features or the Help > About section. On macOS, check /Applications or the application menu.
    Affected if The product is one of: VMware Workstation 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, or 6.03; VMware Player 2.0, 2.01, 2.02, or 2.03; VMware Fusion 1.1 or 1.1.1; VMware Ace 2 version 2.0 or 2.01.
  2. Verify the exact version number
    Compare your installed version against the affected ranges listed. VMware Workstation 6.0.x versions 6.0.1, 6.0.2, and 6.03 are affected. VMware Player 2.0.x versions 2.0 through 2.03 are affected.
    Affected if The installed version matches exactly one of the affected versions: Workstation 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 6.03; Player 2.0, 2.01, 2.02, 2.03; Fusion 1.1, 1.1.1; Ace 2.0, 2.01.
  3. Check if folder sharing is enabled
    Open the VM settings and examine the Options tab for Folder Sharing (or Shared Folders) configuration. On Windows hosts, the configuration file (.vmx) may contain 'sharedFolder.enabled' or similar HGFS settings. On macOS hosts, check VM configuration for shared folder paths.
    Affected if Folder sharing (HGFS) is enabled in the VM settings or configuration.
  4. Confirm HGFS is active
    Check for active HGFS-related processes or services running on the host. On Windows, look for vmhgfs or similar processes. On macOS, check for mounted hgfs shares or related kernel extensions.
    Affected if HGFS folder sharing is actively configured or in use.

You are affected only if you have an affected VMware product version AND folder sharing (HGFS) is enabled in your virtual machine configuration.

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

Update affected VMware products to Workstation 6.0.4+, Player 2.0.4+, ACE 2.0.2+, or Fusion 1.1.2+. Alternatively, disable folder sharing as a workaround until patches can be applied.

Fix this in Ace 2 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,840
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,544.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2008-2098 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2008-2098 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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