EsxApplication · VMware
CVE-2012-1510
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 WDDM 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 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 · high confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in VMware's WDDM (Windows Display Driver Model) display driver affecting ESXi 4.0-5.0, ESX 4.0-4.1, and VMware View prior to 4.6.1. The flaw allows an authenticated guest OS user to execute code and escalate privileges within the guest operating system through unspecified vectors involving the display driver.
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 ESXi/ESX host versionRun 'vmware -v' or check the ESXi host via vSphere Client: go to Configuration > Software > Advanced Settings, or run 'esxcli system version get'Affected if The version is 4.0, 4.1, or 5.0 (without the corresponding patches)
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Identify the VMware View versionCheck the Connection Server version: open the VMware View Administrator, go to System Dashboard, or check the installed version in Add/Remove ProgramsAffected if The version is 4.6.0 or earlier
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Verify WDDM display driver is in useThe WDDM driver is used when virtual desktops run with display virtualization enabled. Check inside the guest VM: open Device Manager, expand Display Adapters, look for 'VMware SVGA 3D' or similar VMware virtual display adapterAffected if A VMware virtual display adapter using the WDDM driver is present in the guest VM
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Confirm guest user access contextThe vulnerability requires an authenticated user within the guest operating system. Verify if non-admin or untrusted users have access to the virtual desktopAffected if Untrusted or low-privilege authenticated users can log into the virtual desktop running on affected VMware infrastructure
Your environment is affected if you are running ESXi/ESX 4.0-5.0, ESX 4.0-4.1, or VMware View 4.6.0 or earlier, and your virtual desktops use the WDDM display driver with untrusted guest users.
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: update ESXi to 4.0 Update 3, 4.1 Update 2, or 5.0 Update 1 and later; update VMware View to 4.6.1 or later. These updates contain the patched WDDM display driver.
Fix this in Esx
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 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 $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-1510 — 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-2012-1510 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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