Workstation PlayerApplication · VMware
CVE-2016-7086
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 · uneditedThe installer in VMware Workstation Pro 12.x before 12.5.0 and VMware Workstation Player 12.x before 12.5.0 on Windows allows local users to gain privileges via a Trojan horse setup64.exe file in the installation directory.
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 confidenceThe VMware Workstation installer for versions 12.x before 12.5.0 on Windows is vulnerable to a local privilege escalation attack. An attacker with local access can place a malicious setup64.exe file in the installation directory before the legitimate installer runs, causing the installer to execute the trojan horse file with elevated privileges.
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
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify VMware Workstation is installedCheck for VMware Workstation installation by looking in Add/Remove Programs (appwiz.cpl) or checking the installation directory, typically C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware Workstation or C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware WorkstationAffected if VMware Workstation Player or Pro is found on the system
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Determine installed VMware Workstation versionOpen Add/Remove Programs, locate VMware Workstation Player or Pro, and note the version number shownAffected if Version is 12.0.0, 12.0.1, 12.1.0, or 12.1.1 (or any 12.x version before 12.5.0)
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Confirm the vulnerability conditionCompare the installed version against the affected version list. The installer vulnerability exists only if the version is one of the vulnerable releases.Affected if The installed version matches 12.0.0, 12.0.1, 12.1.0, or 12.1.1
A system is affected if VMware Workstation Player or Pro version 12.0.0, 12.0.1, 12.1.0, or 12.1.1 is installed, as the installer in these versions can execute malicious files placed in the installation directory.
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 or Player to version 12.5.0 or later to obtain the patched installer that no longer executes files from the installation directory.
Fix this in Workstation Player
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 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 $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-7086 — 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-2016-7086 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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