FusionApplication · VMware
CVE-2020-3948
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 · uneditedLinux Guest VMs running on VMware Workstation (15.x before 15.5.2) and Fusion (11.x before 11.5.2) contain a local privilege escalation vulnerability due to improper file permissions in Cortado Thinprint. Local attackers with non-administrative access to a Linux guest VM with virtual printing enabled may exploit this issue to elevate their privileges to root on the same guest VM.
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 confidenceLinux guest VMs on vulnerable VMware Workstation (pre-15.5.2) and Fusion (pre-11.5.2) contain a local privilege escalation flaw in Cortado Thinprint's virtual printing component. Improper file permissions allow non-administrative local users to gain root access within the guest VM by exploiting the virtual printing feature.
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
>= 11.0.0, < 11.5.2
WorkstationApplication
>= 15.0.0, < 15.5.2CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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.
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Verify VMware product is installed on the hostCheck for installed VMware Workstation or Fusion: On Windows, look in Program Files for 'VMware' folder or check Programs and Features; On macOS, check /Applications for VMware Fusion.app; On Linux, check /usr/bin/vmware or package manager listingsAffected if Either VMware Workstation or VMware Fusion is installed on the system
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Check VMware Workstation versionOpen Workstation, go to Help > About VMware Workstation, or run 'vmware -v' from command line. Compare the version number against the affected rangeAffected if Installed version is 15.0.0 or higher but lower than 15.5.2
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Check VMware Fusion versionOpen Fusion, go to VMware Fusion menu > About VMware Fusion, or run 'vmware -v' in Terminal. Compare the version number against the affected rangeAffected if Installed version is 11.0.0 or higher but lower than 11.5.2
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Identify if any guest VMs have virtual printing enabledOpen VM settings in affected VMware product: For Workstation, go to VM > Settings > Options > Shared Folders (virtual printing option may appear here or under printer configuration). For Fusion, go to Virtual Machine > Settings > Print. Look for virtual printing or Thinprint componentsAffected if Virtual printing is enabled in any guest VM configuration
The host is affected if it runs vulnerable VMware Workstation (15.0.0 to <15.5.2) or Fusion (11.0.0 to <11.5.2) AND any Linux guest VM has virtual printing enabled.
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 data11.5.215.5.2
Apply VMware Workstation update 15.5.2 or later, and Fusion 11.5.2 or later to the host system. Alternatively, disable virtual printing in the guest VM settings as a workaround until patching is complete.
Fix this in Fusion
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-2020-3948 — 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-2020-3948 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
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- 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