dbcve.org
FusionApplication · VMware

CVE-2026-41702

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 26h1 or later.
See remediation →
72/100
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 Fusion contains a TOCTOU (Time-of-check Time-of-use) vulnerability that occurs during an operation performed by a SETUID binary. A malicious actor with local non-administrative user privileges may exploit this vulnerability to escalate privileges to root on the system where Fusion 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 · moderate confidence

VMware Fusion contains a TOCTOU vulnerability in a SETUID binary where a race condition exists between the time a permission check is performed and when the check result is used. A local non-administrative user can exploit this race condition to gain root privileges on the host system.

MitigationApply the VMware Fusion security update when released; in the meantime, limit local user access to systems with Fusion installed and monitor for any suspicious activity involving Fusion binaries.

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
Affected:< 26h1

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
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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 checks

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

  1. Confirm VMware Fusion is installed
    Check for VMware Fusion installation by searching for Fusion-related processes or binaries. On macOS, look for /Applications/VMware Fusion.app or check /Library/Application Support/VMware for installed components.
    Affected if VMware Fusion is present on the system and the version is below 26h1
  2. Determine installed VMware Fusion version
    Locate the VMware Fusion application bundle and query its version information. On macOS, right-click VMware Fusion.app > Get Info, or use the command: defaults read /Applications/VMware\ Fusion.app/Contents/Info CFBundleShortVersionString
    Affected if The version returned is less than 26h1 (e.g., 26g2, 26f1, earlier versions)
  3. Identify SETUID binaries in VMware Fusion installation
    Search the VMware Fusion installation directory for files with the SETUID bit set. Use: find /Applications/VMware\ Fusion.app -perm -4000 -type f 2>/dev/null or check the vmware-usbarbitrator and related helper tools in /Library/Application Support/VMware/Tools/
    Affected if Any VMware Fusion helper or arbitrary binary has the SETUID bit enabled and the Fusion version is below 26h1
  4. Verify non-administrative user access exists
    Review local user accounts on the system. Check if standard (non-admin) user accounts exist that could potentially execute the vulnerable SETUID binary.
    Affected if Local non-administrative user accounts are present and VMware Fusion with version below 26h1 is installed with SETUID binaries

You are affected if VMware Fusion version below 26h1 is installed on your system with SETUID binaries present and local non-administrative users can access those binaries.

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 26h1 or later
Fixed in 26h1
Interim mitigation

Apply the VMware Fusion security update when released; in the meantime, limit local user access to systems with Fusion installed and monitor for any suspicious activity involving Fusion binaries.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

26h1 or later

  1. Back up all Fusion virtual machines and configurations before upgrading
  2. Download VMware Fusion version 26h1 or later from support.broadcom.com
  3. Quit VMware Fusion if it is currently running
  4. Install the new version of VMware Fusion by running the installer package
  5. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation
  6. After installation, verify the new version by checking Fusion > About VMware Fusion
  7. Ensure all virtual machines function correctly after the upgrade
Caveat Review release notes for any compatibility changes with older macOS versions or virtual machine configurations

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

Fix this in Fusion Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,840
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,144.

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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-2026-41702 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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