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Horizon ClientApplication · VMware

CVE-2020-3986

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-09-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.4.4 / 16.0.0 or later.
See remediation →
63/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
VMware Workstation (15.x) and Horizon Client for Windows (5.x before 5.4.4) contain an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Cortado ThinPrint component (EMF Parser). A malicious actor with normal access to a virtual machine may be able to exploit these issues to create a partial denial-of-service condition or to leak memory from TPView process running on the system where Workstation or Horizon Client for Windows is installed.

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

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in the Cortado ThinPrint EMF Parser component bundled with VMware Workstation 15.x and Horizon Client for Windows (versions before 5.4.4). A local attacker with standard VM access can trigger the issue to leak memory from the TPView process or cause a partial denial-of-service condition.

MitigationUpdate VMware Workstation to the latest patched version and Horizon Client for Windows to version 5.4.4 or later to address the vulnerable ThinPrint component.

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 ClientApplication
Affected:>= 5.0.0, < 5.4.4
Workstation PlayerApplication
Affected:>= 15.0.0, < 16.0.0
Workstation ProApplication
Affected:>= 15.0.0, < 16.0.0

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
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:L

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 installed VMware product
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product' in PowerShell to list installed VMware software. Look for VMware Workstation Pro, VMware Workstation Player, or VMware Horizon Client.
    Affected if The product name contains Workstation Pro, Workstation Player, or Horizon Client but the version is below 16.0.0 for Workstation or below 5.4.4 for Horizon Client.
  2. Check VMware Workstation version
    Open VMware Workstation, go to Help > About VMware Workstation, or run 'vmware -v' from command prompt. Note the exact version number displayed.
    Affected if The version starts with 15.x (for example, 15.0.0, 15.1.0, 15.5.0) indicating it is >= 15.0.0 and < 16.0.0.
  3. Check VMware Horizon Client version
    Open VMware Horizon Client, go to Help > About, or locate the installer file name. The version is often displayed in the application window or can be found in the installation directory.
    Affected if The version is >= 5.0.0 but < 5.4.4, for example 5.2.0, 5.3.1, or 5.4.0.
  4. Verify ThinPrint component presence
    Check for ThinPrint-related files in the VMware installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Workstation or C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware Horizon Client). Look for files named tpview.exe, ThinPrint, orCortado in the bin or shared folders.
    Affected if The ThinPrint component (tpview.exe or related Cortado files) is present on the system.

A system is affected if VMware Workstation (Player or Pro) version 15.x is installed, or VMware Horizon Client version 5.0.0 to 5.4.3 is installed, and the ThinPrint component is present.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.4.4 / 16.0.0 or later
Fixed in 5.4.416.0.0
Interim mitigation

Update VMware Workstation to the latest patched version and Horizon Client for Windows to version 5.4.4 or later to address the vulnerable ThinPrint component.

Fix this in Horizon Client Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

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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-2020-3986 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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