dbcve.org
WorkstationApplication · VMware

CVE-2010-4295

MEDIUM · 6.9 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-12-06
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
Race condition in the mounting process in vmware-mount in VMware Workstation 7.x before 7.1.2 build 301548 on Linux, VMware Player 3.1.x before 3.1.2 build 301548 on Linux, VMware Server 2.0.2 on Linux, and VMware Fusion 3.1.x before 3.1.2 build 332101 allows host OS users to gain privileges via vectors involving temporary files.

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

A race condition exists in the vmware-mount utility across multiple VMware products on Linux where temporary files are created insecurely during the mounting process. An attacker with local host OS access can exploit this race condition to perform a privilege escalation attack by manipulating the temporary files before they are used, potentially gaining elevated privileges on the host system.

MitigationUpdate affected VMware products to version 7.1.2 build 301548 (Workstation), 3.1.2 build 301548 (Player/Fusion), or later. For VMware Server 2.0.2, consider migrating to a supported product or implementing additional access controls on the vmware-mount utility.

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:= 7.0= 7.0.1= 7.1= 7.1.1= 7.1.2
PlayerApplication
Affected:= 3.1= 3.1.1= 3.1.2
ServerApplication
Affected:= 2.0.2
FusionApplication
Affected:= 3.1= 3.1.1= 3.1.2

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
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. Check if vmware-mount utility is installed
    Locate the vmware-mount binary on the system. Common paths include /usr/bin/vmware-mount, /usr/local/bin/vmware-mount, or search using 'which vmware-mount' or 'find / -name vmware-mount 2>/dev/null'. Also check for vmware-mount in the VMware product installation directory.
    Affected if vmware-mount utility is found on the system, indicating an affected VMware product may be installed.
  2. Identify the installed VMware product
    Determine which VMware product is installed by checking for product-specific directories or binaries. Common locations: VMware Workstation (/usr/lib/vmware, /opt/vmware), VMware Player (/usr/lib/vmware, /opt/vmware), VMware Server (/usr/lib/vmware/server), VMware Fusion (typically /Applications/VMware Fusion.app on macOS but this CVE is Linux-focused). Check /usr/lib/vmware-*/common/manifest or look for product-specific files.
    Affected if A VMware product is installed and matches the affected product list.
  3. Determine the installed version number
    Run the vmware-mount utility with version flag: 'vmware-mount --version' or check the product-specific version. For VMware Workstation, check 'vmware -v' or look in /usr/lib/vmware/etc/versions or the installer logs. For VMware Player, check 'vmplayer --version'. For VMware Server, check 'vmware-serverd --version' or check /usr/lib/vmware/server/config.
    Affected if The installed version matches exactly: Workstation 7.0, 7.0.1, 7.1, 7.1.1, or 7.1.2; Player 3.1, 3.1.1, or 3.1.2; Server 2.0.2; Fusion 3.1, 3.1.1, or 3.1.2.
  4. Verify the vulnerable temp file behavior exists
    While the CVE exploits a race condition during actual use, you can verify the vmware-mount utility is present and executable by attempting 'vmware-mount -h' or checking file permissions. The vulnerability manifests when mounting operations create temporary files in predictable locations with insecure permissions.
    Affected if vmware-mount is executable and present on a Linux system running an affected version, making it potentially exploitable.

A user is affected if they have any of the listed VMware product versions (Workstation 7.0-7.1.2, Player 3.1-3.1.2, Server 2.0.2, Fusion 3.1-3.1.2) installed on Linux and the vmware-mount utility is present and accessible 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.

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

Update affected VMware products to version 7.1.2 build 301548 (Workstation), 3.1.2 build 301548 (Player/Fusion), or later. For VMware Server 2.0.2, consider migrating to a supported product or implementing additional access controls on the vmware-mount utility.

Fix this in Workstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2010-4295 — 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-2010-4295 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