VMware Workstation Pro/Player 12.x before 12.5.3 contains a DLL loading vulnerability that occurs due to the "vmware-vmx" process loading DLLs from a path defined in the local environment-variable. Successful exploitation of this issue may allow normal users to escalate privileges to System in the host machine where VMware Workstation is installed.
This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.8, requiring local system access to exploit with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 2 products from vmware, from vmware organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
First disclosed in 2017, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.
2017-06-07T18:29:00.210
2025-04-20T01:37:25.860
Deferred
CVSSv3.0: 8.8 (HIGH)
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
3.4
10.0
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version/Range | Vulnerable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application | vmware | workstation_player | 12.0.0 | Yes |
| Application | vmware | workstation_player | 12.0.1 | Yes |
| Application | vmware | workstation_player | 12.1.0 | Yes |
| Application | vmware | workstation_player | 12.5.0 | Yes |
| Application | vmware | workstation_player | 12.5.1 | Yes |
| Application | vmware | workstation_player | 12.5.2 | Yes |
| Application | vmware | workstation_pro | 12.0.0 | Yes |
| Application | vmware | workstation_pro | 12.0.1 | Yes |
| Application | vmware | workstation_pro | 12.1.0 | Yes |
| Application | vmware | workstation_pro | 12.5.0 | Yes |
| Application | vmware | workstation_pro | 12.5.1 | Yes |
| Application | vmware | workstation_pro | 12.5.2 | Yes |
SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For vmware's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.