AceApplication · VMware
CVE-2009-1147
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 · uneditedUnspecified vulnerability in vmci.sys in the Virtual Machine Communication Interface (VMCI) in VMware Workstation 6.5.1 and earlier, VMware Player 2.5.1 and earlier, VMware ACE 2.5.1 and earlier, and VMware Server 2.0.x before 2.0.1 build 156745 allows local users to gain privileges via unknown 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 confidenceLocal privilege escalation vulnerability in VMware's Virtual Machine Communication Interface driver (vmci.sys) affecting Workstation 6.5.1 and earlier, Player 2.5.1 and earlier, ACE 2.5.1 and earlier, and Server 2.0.x before 2.0.1 build 156745. The vmci.sys kernel driver contains an unspecified flaw allowing local authenticated users to gain elevated privileges.
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
AceApplication
all versions= 1.0= 1.0.0= 1.0.1= 1.0.2= 1.0.3= 1.0.3_build_54075= 1.0.4= 1.0.5= 1.0.6= 1.0.7= 2.0
WorkstationApplication
= 1.0.1= 1.0.2= 1.0.4= 1.0.5= 1.1= 1.1.1= 1.1.2= 2.0= 2.0.1= 3.2.1= 3.4= 4.0
PlayerApplication
= 1.0.0= 1.0.1= 1.0.2= 1.0.3= 1.0.4= 1.0.5= 1.0.6= 1.0.7= 1.0.8= 2.0= 2.0.1= 2.0.2
ServerApplication
= 2.0CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed VMware productCheck Programs and Features or use 'vmware -v' command in command prompt to determine which VMware product (Workstation, Player, ACE, or Server) is installed and its version numberAffected if The product is Workstation 6.5.1 or earlier, Player 2.5.1 or earlier, ACE 2.5.1 or earlier, or Server 2.0.x before build 156745
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Locate the vmci.sys driver fileSearch for vmci.sys in the VMware installation directory, typically found in C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Workstation\drivers\ or similar path depending on productAffected if The vmci.sys driver file exists on the system (the vulnerability requires this driver to be present)
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Verify the driver is loadedOpen Device Manager, go to 'Non-Plug and Play Drivers', and check if 'VMware VMCI Bus Driver' is listed and loaded, or run 'sc query vmci' in command promptAffected if The VMware VMCI Bus Driver is loaded and running on the system
You are affected if a VMware product is installed with version matching Workstation 6.5.1 or earlier, Player 2.5.1 or earlier, ACE 2.5.1 or earlier, or Server 2.0.x before build 156745, AND the vmci.sys driver is present on the system.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataApply VMware vendor patches/updates to affected products to obtain the fixed vmci.sys driver version. Upgrade to at least VMware Workstation 6.5.2, Player 2.5.2, ACE 2.5.2, or Server 2.0.1 build 156745 or later.
Fix this in Ace
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-1147 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2009-1147 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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