Horizon ViewApplication · VMware
CVE-2017-4909
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 (12.x prior to 12.5.3) and Horizon View Client (4.x prior to 4.4.0) contain a heap buffer-overflow vulnerability in TrueType Font (TTF) parser in the TPView.dll. On Workstation, this may allow a guest to execute code or perform a Denial of Service on the Windows OS that runs Workstation. In the case of a Horizon View Client, this may allow a View desktop to execute code or perform a Denial of Service on the Windows OS that runs the Horizon View Client. Exploitation is only possible if virtual printing has been enabled. This feature is not enabled by default on Workstation but it is enabled by default on Horizon View.
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 confidenceHeap buffer-overflow vulnerability in the TrueType Font (TTF) parser within TPView.dll in VMware Workstation (prior to 12.5.3) and Horizon View Client (prior to 4.4.0). Exploitation requires virtual printing to be enabled and can allow code execution or denial of service on the host Windows OS.
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
Horizon ViewApplication
= 4.0= 4.1= 4.2= 4.3
WorkstationApplication
= 12.0= 12.0.1= 12.1= 12.1.1= 12.5= 12.5.1= 12.5.2CVSS 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.
-
Identify installed VMware product and versionOpen VMware Workstation or Horizon View Client, go to Help > About, or check Add/Remove Programs for the exact version numberAffected if Version is 12.0, 12.0.1, 12.1, 12.1.1, 12.5, 12.5.1, or 12.5.2 for Workstation; or 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, or 4.3 for Horizon View Client
-
Verify virtual printing is enabledIn VMware Workstation: go to Edit > Preferences > Printing and check if 'Enable virtual printing' is checked. In Horizon View Client: check the client settings for print redirection featuresAffected if Virtual printing feature is enabled - this is required for the vulnerability to be exploitable
-
Confirm TPView.dll is presentSearch for TPView.dll in the VMware installation directory, typically in the bin or lib folder under the VMware program files directoryAffected if TPView.dll exists in the VMware installation folder - this is the vulnerable component containing the TTF parser
You are affected if you have VMware Workstation 12.0-12.5.2 or Horizon View Client 4.0-4.3 AND virtual printing is enabled, allowing the heap buffer overflow in TPView.dll to be triggered.
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 dataDisable virtual printing feature in VMware Workstation or Horizon View Client, or upgrade to the patched versions (Workstation 12.5.3+, Horizon View Client 4.4.0+).
Fix this in Horizon View
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 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 $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-4909 — 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-2017-4909 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