Vsphere ClientApplication · VMware
CVE-2016-7458
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 5.5 before U3e and 6.0 before U2a allows remote vCenter Server and ESXi instances to read arbitrary files via an XML document containing an external entity declaration in conjunction with an entity reference, related to an XML External Entity (XXE) issue.
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 5.5 before U3e and 6.0 before U2a contain an XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability. Attackers can craft malicious XML documents with external entity declarations to cause the client to read and return arbitrary files from the server filesystem, leading to information disclosure.
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
= 5.5= 6.0CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/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.
-
Identify vSphere Client versionLocate the installed vSphere Client version through the client UI (Help > About) or VMware inventory tools. The version will be reported as a release like '5.5' or '6.0' with a specific build number.Affected if The installed version is 5.5 (any build before U3e) or 6.0 (any build before U2a)
-
Confirm client is accessible to networkReview network ACLs, firewall rules, or VPN configurations that govern access to the vSphere Client interface (typically ports 443, 9443). Determine if the client is reachable from networks outside the trusted internal environment.Affected if The vSphere Client is exposed to untrusted or external networks without network-level access restrictions
-
Verify XML input handlingInspect logs or network captures for XML-based requests to the vSphere Client. The vulnerability is triggered when the client processes XML documents containing external entity declarations from user-supplied input.Affected if The vSphere Client processes XML input from users or systems that are not fully trusted
You are affected if your vSphere Client version is 5.5 before U3e or 6.0 before U2a AND the client can receive untrusted XML input from the network.
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 5.5 U3e or 6.0 U2a respectively, or apply vendor-supplied patches. Alternatively, disable or restrict the vSphere Client's ability to process untrusted XML input at the network perimeter.
Fix this in Vsphere Client
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-7458 — 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-2016-7458 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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