ViewApplication · VMware
CVE-2012-5978
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 · uneditedMultiple directory traversal vulnerabilities in the (1) View Connection Server and (2) View Security Server in VMware View 4.x before 4.6.2 and 5.x before 5.1.2 allow remote attackers to read arbitrary files 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 confidenceDirectory traversal vulnerability in VMware View Connection Server and Security Server allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files on the affected system by manipulating file path parameters.
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
= 4.0.0= 4.5= 4.6.0= 4.6.1= 5.0.0= 5.0.1= 5.1.0CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
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 Connection Server is installedOn the Windows server, open Programs and Features or check Windows Services for 'VMware View Connection Server' or 'VMware View Security Server' servicesAffected if Either service is present on the system
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Determine the installed versionOpen Programs and Features, find the VMware View entry, and check the version column, or run 'vdmadmin -version' if available on the PATHAffected if The version matches any of these: 4.0.0, 4.5, 4.6.0, 4.6.1, 5.0.0, 5.1.0, or 5.1.1 (noted as fixed in 5.1.2)
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Confirm the connection server is network-accessibleCheck firewall rules or test network connectivity to port 443 (HTTPS) or port 80 (HTTP) on the Connection Server's IP address from an external hostAffected if The Connection Server is reachable from untrusted networks (such as the internet)
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Review connection server logs for traversal attemptsInspect log files in the View Connection Server logs directory (typically under C:\ProgramData\VMware\View\Logs\) for patterns like '../' or '..\' in URL parametersAffected if Logs contain directory traversal patterns in HTTP requests
A system is affected if VMware View Connection Server or Security Server version 4.0.0, 4.5, 4.6.0, 4.6.1, 5.0.0, 5.0.1, or 5.1.0 is installed and the server is network-accessible.
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 4.6.2 or later for 4.x branches, or 5.1.2 or later for 5.x branches. Apply input validation and path sanitization as a defense-in-depth measure.
Fix this in View
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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 $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-5978 — 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-2012-5978 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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