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Movie DecoderApplication · VMware

CVE-2009-1564

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-04-12
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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 vmnc.dll in the VMnc media codec in VMware Movie Decoder before 6.5.4 Build 246459 on Windows, and the movie decoder in VMware Workstation 6.5.x before 6.5.4 build 246459, VMware Player 2.5.x before 2.5.4 build 246459, and VMware Server 2.x on Windows, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an AVI file with crafted video chunks that use HexTile encoding.

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 vmnc.dll (VMnc media codec) in VMware products allows remote code execution via specially crafted AVI files with HexTile encoded video chunks. The overflow occurs when processing malicious video data, enabling attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems.

MitigationUpdate affected VMware products (Workstation, Player, Server, Movie Decoder) to version 6.5.4 build 246459 or later. Avoid opening untrusted AVI files from unknown sources.

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
Movie DecoderApplication
Affected:= 6.5.3
WorkstationApplication
Affected:= 6.5.0= 6.5.1= 6.5.2= 6.5.3
PlayerApplication
Affected:= 2.5= 2.5.1= 2.5.2= 2.5.3
ServerApplication
Affected:= 2.0.0= 2.0.1= 2.0.2

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
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/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 installed VMware products
    Check Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\VMware, Inc.\VMware vmnc or look for VMware installation directories (typically C:\Program Files\VMware\). On Linux, check /usr/lib/vmware or /opt/vmware for VMware binaries and their version information using 'vmware -v' or checking installed packages.
    Affected if No VMware products are found (not affected). If VMware products exist, continue to version check.
  2. Determine VMware Workstation version
    Run 'vmware -v' from VMware installation directory, or check Add/Remove Programs for VMware Workstation version, or check registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\VMware, Inc.\VMware Workstation\InstallPath\Version.
    Affected if Version equals 6.5.0, 6.5.1, 6.5.2, or 6.5.3 (vulnerable). Version 6.5.4 or later is patched.
  3. Determine VMware Player version
    Run 'vmplayer -v' or check Add/Remove Programs for VMware Player version, or check registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\VMware, Inc.\VMware Player\Version.
    Affected if Version equals 2.5, 2.5.1, 2.5.2, or 2.5.3 (vulnerable). Version 2.5.4 or later is patched.
  4. Determine VMware Server version
    Check Add/Remove Programs for VMware Server version, or check vmware-serverd -v or vmware-vmx -v from installation directory, or check registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\VMware, Inc.\VMware Server\InstallPath\Version.
    Affected if Version equals 2.0.0, 2.0.1, or 2.0.2 (vulnerable). Version 2.0.3 or later is patched.
  5. Locate vmnc.dll codec file
    Search for vmnc.dll in the VMware installation directory (commonly in the bin or dlls subfolder). Typical paths: C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Workstation\vmnc.dll or C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Player\vmnc.dll.
    Affected if vmnc.dll exists on the system AND one of the above VMware products is installed at a vulnerable version (affected). If the DLL is absent or the product version is not in the affected list, the specific CVE condition does not apply.

A system is affected if it has VMware Workstation 6.5.0-6.5.3, VMware Player 2.5-2.5.3, VMware Server 2.0.0-2.0.2, or VMware Movie Decoder 6.5.3 installed with the vmnc.dll codec file present.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update affected VMware products (Workstation, Player, Server, Movie Decoder) to version 6.5.4 build 246459 or later. Avoid opening untrusted AVI files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

VMware Movie Decoder 6.5.4 Build 246459; VMware Workstation 6.5.4 Build 246459; VMware Player 2.5.4 Build 246459; VMware Server 2.0.3 or later

  1. Identify the installed VMware product (Movie Decoder, Workstation, Player, or Server) and its exact version
  2. For VMware Movie Decoder 6.5.3: upgrade to version 6.5.4 Build 246459 or later
  3. For VMware Workstation 6.5.x (6.5.0-6.5.3): upgrade to version 6.5.4 Build 246459 or later
  4. For VMware Player 2.5.x (2.5-2.5.3): upgrade to version 2.5.4 Build 246459 or later
  5. For VMware Server 2.x: upgrade to the latest available version (2.0.3 or later) that includes the patched vmnc.dll
  6. After upgrading, verify the vmnc.dll version matches the patched build 246459 or later
Caveat Upgrading VMware products may require accepting new EULA terms; ensure guest VMs are backed up before upgrading Workstation/Player/Server

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Movie Decoder Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,770
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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-2009-1564 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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