ViewApplication · VMware
CVE-2012-1509
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 · uneditedBuffer overflow in the XPDM display driver in VMware View before 4.6.1 allows guest OS users to gain guest OS privileges 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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in VMware View's XPDM display driver allows authenticated guest OS users to escalate privileges within the guest operating system. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to 4.6.1 and enables privilege escalation through unspecified vectors related to the display driver component.
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
ViewApplication
<= 4.6.0CVSS 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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Verify VMware View is installedCheck the system for VMware View installation by looking for the program in Add/Remove Programs (Windows) or searching for VMware View-related directories and executables. Common locations include C:\Program Files\VMware\View and registry entries under HKLM\SOFTWARE\VMware, Inc.\VMware View.Affected if VMware View is not installed on the system, then the vulnerability does not apply.
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Determine the installed VMware View versionOpen the Windows Control Panel, go to Programs and Features, find VMware View in the list, and note the version number displayed. Alternatively, check the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\VMware, Inc.\VMware View\Client\Version or examine the View Client executable properties.Affected if The installed version is 4.6.0 or earlier (any version prior to 4.6.1), indicating the system falls within the affected range.
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Confirm XPDM display driver component presenceCheck if the XPDM display driver is present on the system. The XPDM driver (XPDM.SYS) is typically located in the Windows system32\drivers directory on systems where VMware View agents have been deployed. Use Device Manager to view installed display drivers or check C:\Windows\System32\drivers\XPDM.SYS.Affected if The XPDM display driver file exists on the system, indicating the vulnerable component is present and could be exploited.
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Check for active View Client sessionsReview running processes or services related to VMware View, such as wsnm.exe, vmware-view*.exe, or the VMware View Composer service. Use Task Manager or command 'tasklist /svc' to identify active VMware View components.Affected if VMware View client or agent processes are actively running, meaning the vulnerable display driver component is currently in use.
The system is affected if VMware View version 4.6.0 or earlier is installed and the XPDM display driver component is present on the system.
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 dataUpgrade VMware View to version 4.6.1 or later to patch the buffer overflow vulnerability in the XPDM display driver.
Fix this in View
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 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 $1,664.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-1509 — 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-2012-1509 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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