Workstation ProApplication · VMware
CVE-2018-6957
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 (14.x before 14.1.1, 12.x) and Fusion (10.x before 10.1.1 and 8.x) contain a denial-of-service vulnerability which can be triggered by opening a large number of VNC sessions. Note: In order for exploitation to be possible on Workstation and Fusion, VNC must be manually enabled.
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 Workstation and Fusion contain a denial-of-service vulnerability that can be triggered by opening a large number of VNC sessions. The vulnerability is due to improper handling of multiple VNC connections, leading to resource exhaustion or a crash condition. VNC must be manually enabled for exploitation to be possible.
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 ProApplication
>= 14.0, < 14.1.1= 12.0= 12.1= 12.01= 12.1.1= 12.5= 12.5.1= 12.5.2= 12.5.3= 12.5.4= 12.5.5= 12.5.6
Workstation PlayerApplication
>= 14.0, < 14.1.1= 12.0= 12.0.1= 12.1= 12.1.1= 12.5= 12.5.1= 12.5.2= 12.5.3= 12.5.4= 12.5.5= 12.5.6
FusionApplication
= 8.0= 8.0.1= 8.0.2= 8.1= 8.1.1= 8.5= 8.5.1= 8.5.2= 8.5.3= 8.5.4= 8.5.5= 8.5.6CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 VMware product typeDetermine if the system has VMware Workstation Pro, VMware Workstation Player, or VMware Fusion installed. Check the installed software or look for VMware application in the system.Affected if Any of these three products is installed.
-
Check installed VMware versionOpen VMware and navigate to Help > About VMware Workstation (or Help > About VMware Fusion). Note the exact version number displayed.Affected if The version is 14.0 through 14.1.0 (exclusive of 14.1.1), or any of these: 12.0, 12.01, 12.1, 12.1.1, 12.5, 12.5.1, 12.5.2, 12.5.3, 12.5.4, 12.5.5, 12.5.6 for Workstation; or 8.0, 8.0.1, 8.0.2, 8.1, 8.1.1, 8.5, 8.5.1, 8.5.2, 8.5.3, 8.5.4, 8.5.5, 8.5.6 for Fusion.
-
Verify if VNC is enabledInspect the virtual machine settings or configuration files. In VMware Workstation or Fusion, check the VM settings for VNC connections under the VM > Settings > Options tab, or examine the VMX configuration file for VNC-related settings.Affected if VNC remote display feature is manually enabled on any virtual machine.
The environment is affected if a vulnerable VMware version is installed AND VNC remote display is enabled on any virtual machine.
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 data14.1.1
Update VMware Workstation to version 14.1.1 or later and Fusion to version 10.1.1 or later. If patching is not immediately feasible, restrict VNC access via firewall rules or disable VNC if not required.
Fix this in Workstation Pro
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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 $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-6957 — 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-2018-6957 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