Workstation PlayerApplication · VMware
CVE-2016-7082
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 Workstation Pro 12.x before 12.5.0 and VMware Workstation Player 12.x before 12.5.0 on Windows, when Cortado ThinPrint virtual printing is enabled, allow guest OS users to execute arbitrary code on the host OS or cause a denial of service (host OS memory corruption) via an EMF 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 confidenceA memory corruption vulnerability exists in the Cortado ThinPrint virtual printing component of VMware Workstation Pro and Player 12.x (before 12.5.0) on Windows hosts. When ThinPrint is enabled, guest OS users can craft malicious EMF (Enhanced Metafile) files that trigger memory corruption on the host, enabling arbitrary code execution or denial of service.
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
Workstation PlayerApplication
= 12.0.0= 12.0.1= 12.1.0= 12.1.1
Workstation ProApplication
= 12.0.0= 12.0.1= 12.1.0= 12.1.1CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify VMware Workstation is installedCheck for VMware Workstation installation on the Windows host. Common installation paths: C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Workstation\vmware.exe or C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware Workstation\vmware.exe. Also check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\VMware, Inc.\VMware WorkstationAffected if VMware Workstation Pro or Player is found on the system
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Determine the installed VMware Workstation versionRight-click vmware.exe, select Properties, then view the Details tab for Product Version. Alternatively, run vmware.exe -v from the command line, or check HKLM\SOFTWARE\VMware, Inc.\VMware Workstation\InstallPath in the registryAffected if The version is 12.0.0, 12.0.1, 12.1.0, or 12.1.1
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Confirm ThinPrint virtual printing is enabledOpen VMware Workstation, go to Edit > Preferences > Players > Printer. In VMware Player, go to Player > Manage Virtual Machine Settings > Options > Shared. The ThinPrint feature is enabled if virtual printing is checked or configured. The configuration file for ThinPrint settings may be located in the VM's .vmx file under printers.enabled = "TRUE"Affected if Virtual printing or ThinPrint is enabled in VMware settings
A user is affected if they have VMware Workstation Pro or Player version 12.0.0, 12.0.1, 12.1.0, or 12.1.1 installed on Windows with ThinPrint virtual printing enabled.
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 Workstation Pro/Player to version 12.5.0 or later. Alternatively, disable the ThinPrint virtual printing feature if immediate upgrading is not feasible.
Fix this in Workstation Player
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $2,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-7082 — 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-2016-7082 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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