WorkstationApplication · VMware
CVE-2018-6965
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 ESXi (6.7 before ESXi670-201806401-BG), Workstation (14.x before 14.1.2), and Fusion (10.x before 10.1.2) contain an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the shader translator. Successful exploitation of this issue may lead to information disclosure or may allow attackers with normal user privileges to crash their VMs, a different vulnerability than CVE-2018-6966 and CVE-2018-6967.
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 confidenceOut-of-bounds read vulnerability in the shader translator component of VMware ESXi, Workstation, and Fusion. Exploitation allows information disclosure or denial of service (VM crash) with normal user 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
WorkstationApplication
>= 14.0, < 14.1.2
EsxiOperating system
= 6.7
FusionApplication
>= 10.0, < 10.1.2CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 the VMware productDetermine whether the system runs VMware ESXi, Workstation, or Fusion. In ESXi, run 'vmware -l' or check the vSphere Client. In Workstation/Fusion, use 'vmware -v' from command line or check About in the GUI.Affected if The product is ESXi 6.7, Workstation 14.x, or Fusion 10.x
-
Check the installed version numberFor ESXi: run 'esxcli system version get' or check the ESXi host client. For Workstation/Fusion: run 'vmware -v' from terminal or open Help > About.Affected if The version is ESXi 6.7 (any build), Workstation between 14.0 and 14.1.1 inclusive, or Fusion between 10.0 and 10.1.1 inclusive
-
Verify the 3D graphics feature is in useCheck VM settings: in Workstation/Fusion, go to VM > Settings > Hardware > Display and verify 'Accelerate 3D graphics' is enabled. In ESXi, check the VM's configuration for svga.present or enable 3D graphics via datastore browser .vmx file.Affected if 3D graphics acceleration is enabled for any VM on the host; the shader translator vulnerability triggers when 3D graphics are in use
A system is affected if it runs the specific vulnerable versions (ESXi 6.7, Workstation 14.0-14.1.1, or Fusion 10.0-10.1.1) and has 3D graphics acceleration enabled for at least one 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 data10.1.214.1.2
Apply vendor patches: ESXi670-201806401-BG or later for ESXi 6.7, Workstation 14.1.2 or later, Fusion 10.1.2 or later.
Fix this in Workstation
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 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 $3,072.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-6965 — 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-2018-6965 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