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PlayerApplication · VMware

CVE-2016-2077

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-05-18
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 11.x before 11.1.3 and VMware Player 7.x before 7.1.3 on Windows incorrectly access an executable file, which allows host OS users to gain host OS 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

VMware Workstation 11.x before 11.1.3 and VMware Player 7.x before 7.1.3 on Windows contain an incorrect executable file access vulnerability that allows local host OS users to escalate privileges to host OS level.

MitigationUpdate VMware Workstation to version 11.1.3 or later, or VMware Player to version 7.1.3 or later, to remediate this privilege escalation vulnerability.

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
PlayerApplication
Affected:= 7.0= 7.1= 7.1.1= 7.1.2
WorkstationApplication
Affected:= 11.0= 11.1= 11.1.1= 11.1.2

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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. Confirm VMware product installation
    Check if VMware Workstation or VMware Player is installed on the Windows host. Look in Add/Remove Programs, or search for vmware.exe, vmplayer.exe, or vmware-vmx.exe in Program Files directories.
    Affected if VMware Player or VMware Workstation is installed on Windows
  2. Identify installed version
    Open Add/Remove Programs, locate the VMware entry, and record the exact version number displayed. Alternatively, right-click the VMware executable in Program Files (vmware.exe or vmplayer.exe), select Properties, and view the version on the Details tab.
    Affected if The installed version matches 7.0, 7.1, 7.1.1, or 7.1.2 for Player, or 11.0, 11.1, 11.1.1, or 11.1.2 for Workstation
  3. Verify patch level
    If the version falls within the affected ranges above, check whether the installed build is 11.1.3 or later for Workstation, or 7.1.3 or later for Player, by comparing the full version string.
    Affected if The version is 11.1.2 or earlier for Workstation, or 7.1.2 or earlier for Player, indicating the patch has not been applied

The environment is affected if VMware Player 7.0 through 7.1.2 or VMware Workstation 11.0 through 11.1.2 is installed on Windows, as these versions contain the incorrect executable file access vulnerability that allows local privilege escalation.

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 VMware Workstation to version 11.1.3 or later, or VMware Player to version 7.1.3 or later, to remediate this privilege escalation vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

VMware Workstation 11.1.3+ or VMware Player 7.1.3+

  1. 1. Ensure all virtual machines are powered off or suspended before upgrading VMware Workstation or Player
  2. 2. Download VMware Workstation 11.1.3 or later from the official VMware website
  3. 3. Download VMware Player 7.1.3 or later from the official VMware website (if using Player instead of Workstation)
  4. 4. Run the installer with administrative privileges
  5. 5. Follow the on-screen installation wizard prompts
  6. 6. Restart the Windows host system after installation completes
  7. 7. Verify the installed version by checking Help > About VMware Workstation or About VMware Player
Caveat VMware patch releases are typically backward compatible; however, always backup virtual machine files before upgrading

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

Fix this in Player Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2016-2077 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