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WorkstationApplication · VMware

CVE-2012-2450

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 before 4.1.2, VMware ESXi 3.5 through 5.0, and VMware ESX 3.5 through 4.1 do not properly register SCSI devices, which allows guest OS users to cause a denial of service (invalid 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 improper SCSI device registration in VMware virtualization products. A guest OS user with administrative privileges can trigger an invalid write operation causing a denial of service (VMX process crash) or potentially execute arbitrary code on the host OS by exploiting the flawed device registration logic.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches: update VMware Workstation to 8.0.3 or later, VMware Player to 4.0.3 or later, VMware Fusion to 4.1.2 or later, and update ESXi/ESX to patched versions. Test patches in a non-production environment before deploying to production hosts.

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
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 the installed VMware product
    On the host system, determine which VMware virtualization product is installed. For Windows: check Program Files for VMware folders or check Add/Remove Programs. For Linux: check /usr/lib/vmware or use 'vmware -v'. For ESXi/ESX: use 'vmware -v' via SSH or check the vSphere Client inventory.
    Affected if The product is VMware Workstation, Player, Fusion, ESXi, or ESX
  2. Check VMware Workstation version
    If VMware Workstation is installed, run 'vmware -v' or check Help > About VMware Workstation. Compare the version to the affected list: 8.0, 8.0.1, or 8.0.2.
    Affected if The installed version is 8.0, 8.0.1, or 8.0.2
  3. Check VMware Player version
    If VMware Player is installed, run 'vmware-player -v' or check Help > About VMware Player. Compare the version to the affected list: 4.0, 4.0.1, or 4.0.2.
    Affected if The installed version is 4.0, 4.0.1, or 4.0.2
  4. Check VMware Fusion version
    If VMware Fusion is installed, check VMware Fusion > About VMware Fusion from the menu bar. Compare the version to the affected list: 4.0, 4.0.1, 4.0.2, 4.1, or 4.1.1.
    Affected if The installed version is 4.0, 4.0.1, 4.0.2, 4.1, or 4.1.1
  5. Check VMware ESXi or ESX version
    If VMware ESXi or ESX is installed, run 'vmware -v' at the ESXi/ESX console or via SSH, or view the summary in vSphere Client. Compare to affected lists: ESXi 3.5, 4.0, 4.1, or 5.0; ESX 3.5, 4.0, or 4.1.
    Affected if The installed ESXi version is 3.5, 4.0, 4.1, or 5.0, or the installed ESX version is 3.5, 4.0, or 4.1

The environment is affected if any VMware Workstation version is 8.0-8.0.2, Player is 4.0-4.0.2, Fusion is 4.0-4.1.1, ESXi is 3.5-5.0, or ESX is 3.5-4.1.

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

Apply the vendor-supplied patches: update VMware Workstation to 8.0.3 or later, VMware Player to 4.0.3 or later, VMware Fusion to 4.1.2 or later, and update ESXi/ESX to patched versions. Test patches in a non-production environment before deploying to production hosts.

Recommended fix High confidence

VMware Workstation 8.0.3+, VMware Player 4.0.3+, VMware Fusion 4.1.2+, or corresponding patched ESXi/ESX versions per VMware security advisory

  1. 1. Identify the exact VMware product and version currently installed (Workstation, Player, Fusion, ESXi, or ESX).
  2. 2. For VMware Workstation 8.x: Upgrade to version 8.0.3 or later.
  3. 3. For VMware Player 4.x: Upgrade to version 4.0.3 or later.
  4. 4. For VMware Fusion 4.x: Upgrade to version 4.1.2 or later.
  5. 5. For VMware ESXi: Apply the appropriate VMware patch for the installed version (refer to VMware KB article for CVE-2012-2450), or upgrade to a patched ESXi version as specified in VMware security advisories.
  6. 6. For VMware ESX: Apply the appropriate VMware patch for the installed version (refer to VMware KB article for CVE-2012-2450), or upgrade to a patched ESX version as specified in VMware security advisories.
  7. 7. After upgrading/patching, restart the affected system as required by the update.
  8. 8. Verify the new version is correctly installed and the vulnerability is resolved.
Caveat Upgrading VMware products may require VM backup and potential compatibility review with existing virtual machines; ESXi/ESX patches may require host reboot

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

Fix this in Workstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
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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-2012-2450 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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