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WorkstationApplication · VMware

CVE-2012-2449

HIGH · 9.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-05-04
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
96/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
VMware Workstation 8.x before 8.0.3, VMware Player 4.x before 4.0.3, VMware Fusion 4.x through 4.1.2, VMware ESXi 3.5 through 5.0, and VMware ESX 3.5 through 4.1 do not properly configure the virtual floppy device, which allows guest OS users to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds write operation and VMX process crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code on the host OS by leveraging administrative privileges on the guest OS.

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

The vulnerability exists in multiple VMware products (Workstation, Player, Fusion, ESXi, ESX) where the virtual floppy device is improperly configured, allowing an attacker with administrative privileges in the guest OS to perform out-of-bounds write operations, crash the VMX process (denial of service), or potentially execute arbitrary code on the host OS.

MitigationUpdate affected VMware products to versions 8.0.3 or later for Workstation, 4.0.3 or later for Player, and 4.1.3 or later for Fusion; ESXi/ESX patches should be applied per VMware's security advisories.

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:= 8.0= 8.0.1= 8.0.2
PlayerApplication
Affected:= 4.0= 4.0.1= 4.0.2
FusionApplication
Affected:= 4.0= 4.0.1= 4.0.2= 4.1= 4.1.1= 4.1.2
EsxiOperating system
Affected:= 3.5= 4.0= 4.1= 5.0
EsxOperating system
Affected:= 3.5= 4.0= 4.1

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
Single
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/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. Identify installed VMware product and version
    For VMware Workstation/Player: Help > About VMware Workstation (or Player) to view the exact version number. For VMware Fusion: VMware Fusion menu > About VMware Fusion. For ESXi/ESX: run 'vmware -v' or check the vSphere Client overview tab.
    Affected if The version matches 8.0, 8.0.1, or 8.0.2 for Workstation; 4.0, 4.0.1, or 4.0.2 for Player; 4.0-4.1.2 for Fusion; 3.5, 4.0, 4.1, or 5.0 for ESXi/ESX.
  2. Locate the VM's configuration file
    Find the .vmx file for the virtual machine. For Workstation/Player: typically in the VM's folder with a .vmx extension. For Fusion: right-click the VM in Library, select Show in Finder, then open the .vmx file. For ESXi/ESX: the configuration is stored in the VM's datastore directory.
    Affected if The .vmx file exists and contains floppy device configuration.
  3. Check if virtual floppy device is present
    Open the VM's .vmx configuration file in a text editor and search for lines containing 'floppy' or 'floppy0'. Look for entries like 'floppy0.present = "TRUE"' or similar floppy-related settings.
    Affected if floppy0.present is set to TRUE or the floppy device is otherwise enabled in the VM configuration.
  4. Verify floppy device connectivity status
    In the .vmx file, look for additional floppy parameters such as 'floppy0.fileName' to determine if a floppy image is connected or if the host's physical floppy drive is mapped. Also check VM settings via the VMware GUI: VM > Settings > Floppy.
    Affected if The virtual floppy drive is connected (fileName points to an image or 'autodetect') or the physical floppy drive is mapped.

You are affected if your VMware product version is one of the listed affected versions AND the virtual floppy device is enabled or connected in your VM configuration.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update affected VMware products to versions 8.0.3 or later for Workstation, 4.0.3 or later for Player, and 4.1.3 or later for Fusion; ESXi/ESX patches should be applied per VMware's security advisories.

Recommended fix High confidence

VMware Workstation 8.0.3+, VMware Player 4.0.3+, VMware Fusion 4.1.3+, VMware ESXi 5.0 Update 1+ or patched version, VMware ESXi 4.1 Update 3+ or patched version

  1. For VMware Workstation 8.x: Upgrade to version 8.0.3 or later
  2. For VMware Player 4.x: Upgrade to version 4.0.3 or later
  3. For VMware Fusion 4.x: Upgrade to version 4.1.3 or later
  4. For VMware ESXi 5.0: Apply VMware ESXi 5.0 patch (ESXi500-201203001) or upgrade to ESXi 5.0 Update 1 or later
  5. For VMware ESXi 4.0/4.1: Apply respective patches or upgrade to supported ESXi 4.1 Update 3 or later
  6. For VMware ESX 3.5/4.0/4.1: Apply respective patches or migrate to a supported ESXi version
  7. After upgrade, verify the virtual floppy device configuration in VM settings if not needed, consider removing the virtual floppy drive
Caveat Legacy ESX/ESXi 3.5 may require migration to supported versions as patches may not be available; verify VM compatibility after upgrade

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Workstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
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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-2012-2449 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
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