Vsphere ClientApplication · VMware
CVE-2014-1210
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 · uneditedVMware vSphere Client 5.0 before Update 3 and 5.1 before Update 2 does not properly validate X.509 certificates, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof SSL servers via a crafted certificate.
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 confidenceVMware vSphere Client versions 5.0 before Update 3 and 5.1 before Update 2 fail to properly validate X.509 certificates during SSL/TLS handshake, allowing man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof legitimate SSL servers by presenting specially crafted certificates.
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
Vsphere ClientApplication
= 5.0= 5.1CVSS 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
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/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 vSphere Client is installedCheck the installed programs list on Windows (Control Panel > Programs and Features) or search for vSphere Client executable (vpxClient.exe) in typical installation paths such as C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\vSphere Client\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\Infrastructure\vSphere Client\Affected if VMware vSphere Client version 5.0 or 5.1 is present on the system
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Identify installed vSphere Client versionRight-click the vSphere Client shortcut or executable, select Properties, then view the Details tab for version information. Alternatively, launch the client and check Help > About vSphere ClientAffected if The version displayed is 5.0.x (before Update 3) or 5.1.x (before Update 2)
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Confirm version is within affected rangeCompare your installed version number to the known vulnerable versions: 5.0 (all builds before Update 3) and 5.1 (all builds before Update 2). If you see versions like 5.0.0, 5.0.1, 5.0.2, 5.1.0, or 5.1.1, these are vulnerableAffected if The version is exactly 5.0 or 5.1 without the corresponding Update 3 or Update 2 patch applied
If VMware vSphere Client version 5.0 before Update 3 or version 5.1 before Update 2 is installed and used to connect to SSL/TLS servers, the environment is affected by improper X.509 certificate validation vulnerability.
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 vSphere Client to version 5.0 Update 3 or 5.1 Update 2 or later, which implement proper X.509 certificate chain validation.
Fix this in Vsphere Client
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 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 $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-1210 — 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-2014-1210 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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- 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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