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Movie DecoderApplication · VMware

CVE-2010-4294

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-12-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 6.5.5 or later.
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
The frame decompression functionality in the VMnc media codec in VMware Movie Decoder before 6.5.5 build 328052 and 7.x before 7.1.2 build 301548, VMware Workstation 6.5.x before 6.5.5 build 328052 and 7.x before 7.1.2 build 301548 on Windows, VMware Player 2.5.x before 2.5.5 build 246459 and 3.x before 3.1.2 build 301548 on Windows, and VMware Server 2.x on Windows does not properly validate an unspecified size field, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (heap memory corruption) via a crafted video file.

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 overflow vulnerability in VMware's VMnc media codec's frame decompression functionality. The codec fails to properly validate a size field in crafted video files, allowing an attacker to overflow heap memory and achieve remote code execution or cause denial of service.

MitigationUpdate all affected VMware products (Movie Decoder, Workstation, Player, Server) on Windows to the patched versions: Movie Decoder 6.5.5+ or 7.1.2+, Workstation 6.5.5+ or 7.1.2+, Player 2.5.5+ or 3.1.2+, and Server 2.x to a patched release.

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:<= 6.5.5= 6.5.3= 6.5.4= 7.0= 7.1.2
WorkstationApplication
Affected:= 6.5.0= 6.5.1= 6.5.2= 6.5.3= 6.5.4= 6.5.5= 7.0= 7.0.1= 7.1= 7.1.1= 7.1.2
PlayerApplication
Affected:= 2.5= 2.5.1= 2.5.2= 2.5.3= 2.5.4= 2.5.5= 3.0= 3.0.1= 3.1= 3.1.1= 3.1.2
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.\ for installed VMware products and their versions, or use Programs and Features to list installed VMware software
    Affected if Any VMware Movie Decoder, Workstation, Player, or Server version matches the affected list (6.5.0-6.5.5, 7.0-7.1.2 for Workstation; 2.5.x, 3.0.x, 3.1.x for Player; 2.0.0-2.0.2 for Server; 6.5.3-6.5.5, 7.0, 7.1.2 for Movie Decoder)
  2. Locate VMnc codec DLL
    Search for vmnc.dll or related VMnc codec files in the VMware installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\VMware\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\)
    Affected if The VMnc codec DLL is present on the system (the vulnerability exists in this codec component)
  3. Verify codec registration
    Check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\CInstall\MediaCodecs\0x00000001 or similar codec registration keys for VMnc entries
    Affected if The VMnc codec is registered as an installed media codec on the system

A system is affected if any VMware product from the affected version list is installed AND the VMnc media codec component is present on the system.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 6.5.5
Interim mitigation

Update all affected VMware products (Movie Decoder, Workstation, Player, Server) on Windows to the patched versions: Movie Decoder 6.5.5+ or 7.1.2+, Workstation 6.5.5+ or 7.1.2+, Player 2.5.5+ or 3.1.2+, and Server 2.x to a patched release.

Recommended fix High confidence

VMware Movie Decoder 6.5.5 (build 328052+), 7.1.2 (build 301548+); Workstation 6.5.5 (build 328052+), 7.1.2 (build 301548+); Player 2.5.5 (build 246459+), 3.1.2 (build 301548+)

  1. 1. Identify the specific VMware product (Movie Decoder, Workstation, Player, or Server) and current version installed on the system
  2. 2. For VMware Movie Decoder: upgrade to version 6.5.5 (build 328052 or later) or 7.1.2 (build 301548 or later)
  3. 3. For VMware Workstation: upgrade to version 6.5.5 (build 328052 or later) or 7.1.2 (build 301548 or later)
  4. 4. For VMware Player: upgrade to version 2.5.5 (build 246459 or later) or 3.1.2 (build 301548 or later)
  5. 5. For VMware Server 2.x: note that no specific fixed version is documented; consider migrating to a newer VMware product as Server 2.x is end-of-life
  6. 6. Obtain the update from the official VMware download center or patch repository
  7. 7. Apply the update following VMware's standard installation procedures
  8. 8. Verify the installed version matches the fixed build number
Caveat Upgrading between major versions (e.g., Player 2.x to 3.x) may introduce compatibility changes with existing virtual machines or host configurations

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

Fix this in Movie Decoder 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-2010-4294 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