WorkstationApplication · VMware
CVE-2010-4296
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 · uneditedvmware-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 does not properly load libraries, which allows host OS users to gain privileges via vectors involving shared object 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 confidenceThe vmware-mount utility in multiple VMware products for Linux (Workstation 7.x, Player 3.1.x, Server 2.0.2, Fusion 3.1.x) has an insecure library loading vulnerability that allows local privilege escalation by exploiting improper handling of shared object file loading.
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
= 7.0= 7.0.1= 7.1= 7.1.1= 7.1.2
PlayerApplication
= 3.1= 3.1.1= 3.1.2
ServerApplication
= 2.0.2
FusionApplication
= 3.1= 3.1.1= 3.1.2CVSS 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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Locate vmware-mount utilityRun 'which vmware-mount' or search common paths like '/usr/bin/vmware-mount', '/usr/local/bin/vmware-mount', or check within the VMware installation directory (typically /usr/lib/vmware/bin or /opt/vmware/bin)Affected if vmware-mount utility is found on the system
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Identify installed VMware product and versionCheck installed packages via 'dpkg -l | grep vmware' or 'rpm -qa | grep vmware' on Linux, or examine the VMware application bundle version from /Applications (macOS for Fusion)Affected if Any of these products are installed: Workstation 7.0-7.1.2, Player 3.1-3.1.2, Server 2.0.2, Fusion 3.1-3.1.2
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Compare installed version against affected rangeMatch the installed product version exactly to the affected list: Workstation 7.0, 7.0.1, 7.1, 7.1.1, 7.1.2; Player 3.1, 3.1.1, 3.1.2; Server 2.0.2; Fusion 3.1, 3.1.1, 3.1.2Affected if The installed version matches any of the exact versions listed in the affected products
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Verify vmware-mount is present and executableRun 'ls -la /path/to/vmware-mount' or check file permissions on the located binaryAffected if vmware-mount exists and has executable permissions
User is affected if vmware-mount utility is present on a system running any of the exact VMware product versions 7.0-7.1.2 (Workstation), 3.1-3.1.2 (Player), 2.0.2 (Server), or 3.1-3.1.2 (Fusion).
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 dataUpdate VMware products to the patched versions (Workstation/Player 7.1.2 build 301548, Fusion 3.1.2 build 332101) or remove vmware-mount if not required.
Fix this in Workstation
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2010-4296 — 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-2010-4296 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
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