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WorkstationApplication · VMware

CVE-2013-1406

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-02-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
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
The Virtual Machine Communication Interface (VMCI) implementation in vmci.sys in VMware Workstation 8.x before 8.0.5 and 9.x before 9.0.1 on Windows, VMware Fusion 4.1 before 4.1.4 and 5.0 before 5.0.2, VMware View 4.x before 4.6.2 and 5.x before 5.1.2 on Windows, VMware ESXi 4.0 through 5.1, and VMware ESX 4.0 and 4.1 does not properly restrict memory allocation by control code, which allows local users to gain 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 confidence

A local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in VMware's Virtual Machine Communication Interface (VMCI) driver (vmci.sys) on Windows. The driver fails to properly restrict memory allocation when handling specific control codes, allowing a local attacker to manipulate memory allocation in kernel mode and potentially execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches: Update VMware Workstation to 8.0.5/9.0.1 or later, Fusion to 4.1.4/5.0.2 or later, View to 4.6.2/5.1.2 or later, and ESXi/ESX to a version beyond 5.1. Alternatively, assess whether VMCI can be disabled if the functionality is not required.

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= 8.0.0.18997= 8.0.1= 8.0.1.27038= 8.0.2= 8.0.3= 8.0.4= 9.0
FusionApplication
Affected:= 4.1= 4.1.1= 4.1.2= 4.1.3= 5.0= 5.0.1
ViewApplication
Affected:= 4.0.0= 4.5= 4.6.0= 4.6.1= 5.0= 5.0.0= 5.0.1= 5.1.0= 5.1.1
EsxiOperating system
Affected:= 4.0= 4.1= 5.0= 5.1
EsxOperating system
Affected:= 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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed VMware product and version
    Check Program Files for VMware installation directory (e.g., C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Workstation). Open vmware.exe or vmware-vmx.exe properties and view File Version, or run 'vmware -v' from command line
    Affected if Product is Workstation, Fusion, or View with version 8.0-9.0 (Workstation), 4.1.x-5.0.x (Fusion), or 4.0-5.1.x (View)
  2. Locate the VMCI driver file
    Search for vmci.sys in the Windows system directory (C:\Windows\System32\drivers\vmci.sys) or within the VMware installation folder under drivers or bin directory
    Affected if vmci.sys file exists on the system
  3. Check VMCI driver version
    Right-click vmci.sys file, select Properties, then view Details tab for File Version; or use PowerShell: (Get-Item 'C:\Windows\System32\drivers\vmci.sys').VersionInfo
    Affected if Driver version matches the affected VMware product version ranges (typically corresponds to product version)
  4. Verify if VMCI driver is loaded
    Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run: sc query vmci or check Device Manager under 'System devices' for 'VMware VMCI Bus Driver'
    Affected if VMCI driver service exists and shows state as RUNNING
  5. Check for specific vulnerable control code handling
    This requires kernel debugging or reverse engineering of vmci.sys - not directly verifiable via standard OS tools; focus on version checking instead
    Affected if N/A - version check is primary indicator
  6. Confirm product build number matches affected builds
    In VMware Workstation/Fusion, go to Help > About VMware to see exact build number; compare against: Workstation 18997 (8.0.0), 27038 (8.0.1), or 8.0.2/8.0.3/8.0.4/9.0; Fusion 4.1.1-4.1.3, 5.0-5.0.1; View builds matching 4.0.0, 4.5, 4.6.0-4.6.1, 5.0.x, 5.1.0-5.1.1
    Affected if Installed build number matches one of the listed affected builds

User is affected if running affected VMware Workstation (8.0-9.0), Fusion (4.1.x-5.0.x), or View (4.0-5.1.x) on Windows with the VMCI driver (vmci.sys) loaded and matching the specific vulnerable build versions.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches: Update VMware Workstation to 8.0.5/9.0.1 or later, Fusion to 4.1.4/5.0.2 or later, View to 4.6.2/5.1.2 or later, and ESXi/ESX to a version beyond 5.1. Alternatively, assess whether VMCI can be disabled if the functionality is not required.

Fix this in Workstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2013-1406 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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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data