The VMX process in VMware ESXi 3.5 through 4.1 and ESX 3.5 through 4.1 does not properly handle RPC commands, which allows guest OS users to
The VMX process in VMware ESXi 3.5 through 4.1 and ESX 3.5 through 4.1 does not properly handle RPC commands, which allows guest OS users to cause a denial of service (memory overwrite and process crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code on the host OS via vectors involving data pointers.
- Published
- May 4, 2012
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 3.2% · 88th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-119
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Report tools
Action score
40
Plan
Add it to your regular patch cycle.
- CVSS
- 39 / 40 · 9.9 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 1 / 30 · 3.2%
Affected systems
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- vmware esx3.5
- vmware esx4.0
- vmware esx4.1
- vmware esxi3.5
- vmware esxi4.0
- vmware esxi4.1
Same product
vmware: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2009-3733Directory traversal vulnerability in VMware Server 1.x before 1.0.10 build 203137 and 2.x before 2.0.2 build 203138 on Linux, VMware ESXi 3.45Plan
- CVE-2013-3658Directory traversal vulnerability in VMware ESXi 4.0 through 5.0, and ESX 4.0 and 4.1, allows remote attackers to delete arbitrary host OS f38Monitor
- CVE-2008-4281Directory traversal vulnerability in VMWare ESXi 3.5 before ESXe350-200810401-O-UG and ESX 3.5 before ESX350-200810201-UG allows administrat38Monitor
- CVE-2012-1517The VMX process in VMware ESXi 4.1 and ESX 4.1 does not properly handle RPC commands, which allows guest OS users to cause a denial of servi37Monitor
- CVE-2008-2097Buffer overflow in the openwsman management service in VMware ESXi 3.5 and ESX 3.5 allows remote authenticated users to gain privileges via 37Monitor
- CVE-2011-1785VMware ESXi 4.0 and 4.1 and ESX 4.0 and 4.1 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (socket exhaustion) via unspecified network 32Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
Impact can extend beyond the vulnerable component (scope changes).
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-119 · Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory BufferCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Buffer Overflow via Environment VariablesCAPEC-10likelihood: High · High
- Overflow BuffersCAPEC-100likelihood: High · Very High
- Buffer ManipulationCAPEC-123likelihood: High · Very High
- Client-side Injection-induced Buffer OverflowCAPEC-14likelihood: Medium · High
- Filter Failure through Buffer OverflowCAPEC-24likelihood: High · High
- MIME ConversionCAPEC-42likelihood: High · High
- Overflow Binary Resource FileCAPEC-44likelihood: High · Very High
- Buffer Overflow via Symbolic LinksCAPEC-45likelihood: High · High
ATT&CK techniques
—
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpChange log
No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.
References
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/53369
- www.securitytracker.com/id?1027018
- www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2012-0009.html
- exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/75373
- oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A16810
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.