CVE-2012-1515: High severity VMware ESXi vulnerability

Published Apr 2, 2012
·
Updated

VMware ESXi 3.5, 4.0, and 4.1 and ESX 3.5, 4.0, and 4.1 do not properly implement port-based I/O operations, which allows guest OS users to gain guest OS privileges by overwriting memory locations in a read-only memory block associated with the Virtual DOS Machine.

Affected Software

6 affected components
VMware ESXi=3.5
VMware ESXi=4.0
VMware ESXi=4.1
VMware ESX=3.5
VMware ESX=4.0
VMware ESX=4.1

Event History

Apr 2, 2012
CVE Published
via MITRE·10:00 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·10:00 AM
Description
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2012-1515?

CVE-2012-1515 has a high severity rating due to its potential to allow unauthorized privilege escalation within the guest OS.

2

How does CVE-2012-1515 affect VMware ESXi and ESX?

CVE-2012-1515 allows guest OS users to overwrite memory locations in read-only memory blocks, leading to privilege escalation.

3

How do I fix CVE-2012-1515?

To fix CVE-2012-1515, it is recommended to apply the latest security patches provided by VMware for the affected versions.

4

Which versions of VMware are affected by CVE-2012-1515?

CVE-2012-1515 affects VMware ESXi versions 3.5, 4.0, 4.1 and VMware ESX versions 3.5, 4.0, 4.1.

5

Can CVE-2012-1515 be exploited remotely?

CVE-2012-1515 requires local access to the guest OS, thus it is not a remote exploit.

Contact

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