dbcve.org
WorkstationApplication · VMware

CVE-2024-22268

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.5.2 / 17.5.2 or later.
See remediation →
67/100
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 and Fusion contain a heap buffer-overflow vulnerability in the Shader functionality. A malicious actor with non-administrative access to a virtual machine with 3D graphics enabled may be able to exploit this vulnerability to create a denial of service condition.

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

Heap buffer-overflow vulnerability in VMware Workstation and Fusion's Shader functionality. Exploitable by a malicious actor with non-administrative access to a virtual machine that has 3D graphics enabled, leading to denial of service.

MitigationDisable 3D graphics acceleration on affected virtual machines until VMware security patches are applied. Alternatively, apply vendor patches when released and restrict VM access to trusted users.

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
Affected:>= 17.0.0, < 17.5.2
FusionApplication
Affected:>= 13.0.0, < 13.5.2

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
Changed
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify VMware product and version
    For Workstation: open the application, go to Help > About VMware Workstation. For Fusion: open the application, go to VMware Fusion > About VMware Fusion. Note the exact version number displayed.
    Affected if Version is 17.0.0 through 17.5.1 for Workstation, or 13.0.0 through 13.5.1 for Fusion
  2. Locate the virtual machine configuration file
    Navigate to the virtual machine's directory and locate the .vmx file. This is the main configuration file for the VM.
    Affected if You have a VM using a vulnerable VMware product version
  3. Check if 3D graphics acceleration is enabled
    Open the .vmx file in a text editor and search for the line 'mks.enable3d' or 'svga.autodetect'. If 'mks.enable3d = "TRUE"' is present, 3D acceleration is enabled.
    Affected if The setting 'mks.enable3d = "TRUE"' is found in the VM configuration file
  4. Verify 3D acceleration setting via VMware UI
    In VMware Workstation: select the VM, go to VM > Settings > Display. In VMware Fusion: select the VM, go to Virtual Machine > Settings > Display. Check if 'Accelerate 3D graphics' is checked or enabled.
    Affected if 3D graphics acceleration is enabled in the VM settings

You are affected if your VMware Workstation is version 17.0.0-17.5.1 or VMware Fusion is version 13.0.0-13.5.1 AND any virtual machine has 3D graphics acceleration enabled.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 13.5.2 / 17.5.2 or later
Fixed in 13.5.217.5.2
Interim mitigation

Disable 3D graphics acceleration on affected virtual machines until VMware security patches are applied. Alternatively, apply vendor patches when released and restrict VM access to trusted users.

Recommended fix High confidence

VMware Workstation 17.5.2 / VMware Fusion 13.5.2

  1. Upgrade VMware Workstation to version 17.5.2 or later
  2. Upgrade VMware Fusion to version 13.5.2 or later
  3. Ensure 3D graphics acceleration is disabled in virtual machines where not required as an additional defense-in-depth measure

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Workstation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-22268 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2024-22268 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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