EsxApplication · VMware
CVE-2012-1508
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 · uneditedThe XPDM display driver in VMware ESXi 4.0, 4.1, and 5.0; VMware ESX 4.0 and 4.1; and VMware View before 4.6.1 allows guest OS users to gain guest OS privileges or cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference) via unspecified 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 · moderate confidenceThe XPDM display driver in VMware ESXi 4.0-5.0, ESX 4.0-4.1, and VMware View prior to 4.6.1 contains a vulnerability allowing guest OS users to escalate privileges within the guest OS or cause a denial of service via NULL pointer dereference through unspecified vectors.
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
EsxApplication
= 4.0= 4.1
ViewApplication
<= 4.6.0
EsxiOperating system
= 4.0= 4.1= 5.0CVSS 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 the installed VMware product and versionRun 'vmware -v' or check the VMware product build number in the vSphere Client or ESXi host client. For View, check the View Connection Server version in 'Add/Remove Programs' or the View Administration console.Affected if The product is ESXi/ESX 4.0, 4.1, or 5.0, or View 4.6.0 or earlier
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Confirm the product type is affectedVerify the exact product name - this vulnerability affects ESXi, ESX, and View specifically. Other VMware products like Workstation or Fusion have separate version tracking.Affected if Running ESXi 4.0, ESXi 4.1, ESXi 5.0, ESX 4.0, ESX 4.1, or View versions up to 4.6.0
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Check if the XPDM display driver is in useInspect the virtual machine configuration for display settings. In vSphere Client, go to VM Settings > Hardware > Display. The XPDM driver is typically associated with legacy SVGA or Windows XP mode display adapters in the guest OS.Affected if The virtual machine is configured to use the XPDM (XP Display Driver Model) or legacy VMware SVGA display driver rather than the newer VMware tools display driver
You are affected if running ESXi 4.0-5.0, ESX 4.0-4.1, or View 4.6.0 or earlier with the XPDM display driver enabled for guest virtual machines.
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 security patches for View 4.6.1 or later, and ESXi/ESX 4.0-5.0 updates addressing the XPDM driver vulnerability. Verify current version and review VMware security advisory VMSA-2012-0013.
Fix this in Esx
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-1508 — 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-2012-1508 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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