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WorkstationApplication · VMware

CVE-2012-3288

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-06-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 7.x before 7.1.6 and 8.x before 8.0.4, VMware Player 3.x before 3.1.6 and 4.x before 4.0.4, VMware Fusion 4.x before 4.1.3, VMware ESXi 3.5 through 5.0, and VMware ESX 3.5 through 4.1 allow user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on the host OS or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) on the host OS via a crafted Checkpoint file.

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

VMware products contain a vulnerability in their Checkpoint file parsing logic that allows memory corruption when processing crafted malicious checkpoint files. This can lead to arbitrary code execution on the host OS or denial of service. The attack is user-assisted, requiring a victim to open a specially crafted file.

MitigationUpdate affected VMware products to the fixed versions: Workstation 7.1.6+/8.0.4+, Player 3.1.6+/4.0.4+, Fusion 4.1.3+, ESXi 5.0.1+, or ESX 4.1 patch ESX100-01. Avoid opening untrusted checkpoint or saved-state files from unknown sources.

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:= 7.0= 7.0.1= 7.1= 7.1.1= 7.1.2= 7.1.3= 7.1.4= 7.1.4.16648= 7.1.5= 8.0= 8.0.1= 8.0.2
PlayerApplication
Affected:= 3.0= 3.0.1= 3.1= 3.1.1= 3.1.2= 3.1.3= 3.1.4= 3.1.5= 4.0= 4.0.1= 4.0.2= 4.0.3
FusionApplication
Affected:= 4.0= 4.0.1= 4.0.2= 4.1= 4.1.1= 4.1.2
EsxOperating system
Affected:= 3.5= 4.0= 4.1
EsxiOperating system
Affected:= 3.5= 4.0= 4.1= 5.0

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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed VMware product
    On Windows, check Add/Remove Programs or the program's Help > About. On Linux, run 'vmware -v' or check /usr/bin/vmware* files. On ESX/ESXi, run 'vmware -v' or check /usr/bin/vmware*
    Affected if Any VMware Workstation, Player, Fusion, ESX, or ESXi product is installed
  2. Determine the exact version number
    Run 'vmware -v' from command line, or check the program's Help > About dialog, or examine the installer properties
    Affected if The version matches any of these: Workstation 7.0-8.0.2, Player 3.0-4.0.3, Fusion 4.0-4.1.2, ESX 3.5-4.1, ESXi 3.5-5.0
  3. Verify checkpoint file parsing capability
    Check if the VMware product has the ability to open checkpoint (.vmem, .vmss, .vmsn) or saved-state files. On ESX/ESXi, check if Snapshot Manager functionality exists via 'vim-cmd vmsvc/snapshot.get'
    Affected if The product supports loading checkpoint or saved-state files from any source
  4. Review recent file opening activity
    Check system logs, VMware logs in the VM directory, or Windows Event Viewer for recent attempts to open .vmem, .vmss, or .vmsn files from untrusted locations
    Affected if Suspicious checkpoint files from unknown sources were recently opened

If the installed VMware product version matches any version listed in the affected ranges (Workstation 7.0-8.0.2, Player 3.0-4.0.3, Fusion 4.0-4.1.2, ESX 3.5-4.1, ESXi 3.5-5.0), the environment is potentially vulnerable to CVE-2012-3288.

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 the fixed versions: Workstation 7.1.6+/8.0.4+, Player 3.1.6+/4.0.4+, Fusion 4.1.3+, ESXi 5.0.1+, or ESX 4.1 patch ESX100-01. Avoid opening untrusted checkpoint or saved-state files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to VMware Workstation 8.0.4+/7.1.6+, Player 4.0.4+/3.1.6+, Fusion 4.1.3+, or the appropriate ESXi/ESX patch level per VMSA-2012-0013

  1. 1. Identify the exact VMware product and version currently installed (Workstation, Player, Fusion, ESX, or ESXi)
  2. 2. For VMware Workstation 7.x: upgrade to version 7.1.6 or later
  3. 3. For VMware Workstation 8.x: upgrade to version 8.0.4 or later
  4. 4. For VMware Player 3.x: upgrade to version 3.1.6 or later
  5. 5. For VMware Player 4.x: upgrade to version 4.0.4 or later
  6. 6. For VMware Fusion 4.x: upgrade to version 4.1.3 or later
  7. 7. For VMware ESXi/ESX: consult VMware security advisory VMSA-2012-0013 for specific patch levels for ESXi 3.5, 4.0, 4.1, and 5.0
  8. 8. After upgrading, verify the new version matches or exceeds the fixed releases listed above
Caveat Major version upgrades (e.g., Workstation 7 to 8) may require VM format migration; ensure VM backups exist before upgrading

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

Fix this in Workstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2012-3288 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data