dbcve.org
FusionApplication · VMware

CVE-2016-7461

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-12-29
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
The drag-and-drop (aka DnD) function in VMware Workstation Pro 12.x before 12.5.2 and VMware Workstation Player 12.x before 12.5.2 and VMware Fusion and Fusion Pro 8.x before 8.5.2 allows guest OS users to execute arbitrary code on the host OS or cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds memory access on the host OS) 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

The drag-and-drop (DnD) feature in VMware Workstation Pro/Player 12.x before 12.5.2 and Fusion/Fusion Pro 8.x before 8.5.2 contains an out-of-bounds memory access vulnerability. A malicious user in the guest OS can exploit this to escape VM isolation and execute arbitrary code on the host OS or crash the host via denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade affected VMware products to version 12.5.2 or later (Workstation Pro/Player) or 8.5.2 or later (Fusion/Fusion Pro). If upgrading is not immediately possible, disable the drag-and-drop feature between guest and host as a temporary workaround.

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
FusionApplication
Affected:= 8.0.0= 8.0.1= 8.0.2= 8.1.0= 8.1.1= 8.5.0= 8.5.1
Fusion ProApplication
Affected:= 8.0.0= 8.0.1= 8.0.2= 8.1.0= 8.1.1= 8.5.0= 8.5.1
Workstation PlayerApplication
Affected:= 12.0.0= 12.0.1= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.5.0= 12.5.1
Workstation ProApplication
Affected:= 12.0.0= 12.0.1= 12.1.0= 12.1.1= 12.5.0= 12.5.1

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed VMware product and version
    Open VMware application, go to Help > About VMware [Product]. Alternatively, check the installation directory for a version file or run 'vmware -v' from command line if available.
    Affected if The product is Fusion 8.x, Fusion Pro 8.x, Workstation Player 12.x, or Workstation Pro 12.x with version matching 8.0.0-8.5.1 or 12.0.0-12.5.1 respectively
  2. Confirm drag-and-drop feature is enabled
    Open VM settings, navigate to Options tab, look for 'Drag and Drop' or 'Guest Isolation' settings. In Workstation: VM > Settings > Options > Guest Isolation. In Fusion: Virtual Machine > Settings > Advanced. Check if Enable drag and drop is checked.
    Affected if Drag-and-drop between guest and host is enabled (the feature must be active for the vulnerability to be exploitable)
  3. Verify version against affected range
    Compare the identified version number to the affected list: Fusion/Fusion Pro 8.0.0, 8.0.1, 8.0.2, 8.1.0, 8.1.1, 8.5.0, 8.5.1; Workstation Player/Pro 12.0.0, 12.0.1, 12.1.0, 12.1.1, 12.5.0, 12.5.1
    Affected if The installed version exactly matches one of these versions from the affected list

You are affected if you have VMware Fusion 8.x, Fusion Pro 8.x, Workstation Player 12.x, or Workstation Pro 12.x matching the listed versions AND drag-and-drop between guest and host is enabled.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade affected VMware products to version 12.5.2 or later (Workstation Pro/Player) or 8.5.2 or later (Fusion/Fusion Pro). If upgrading is not immediately possible, disable the drag-and-drop feature between guest and host as a temporary workaround.

Fix this in Fusion Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-7461 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2016-7461 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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