CVE-2014-3793

Vulnerability

A kernel NULL pointer dereference vulnerability exists in VMware Tools when running on a Microsoft Windows 8.1 guest operating system [1]. This affects VMware Workstation 10.x before 10.0.2, VMware Player 6.x before 6.0.2, VMware Fusion 6.x before 6.0.3, and VMware ESXi 5.0 through 5.5 without the respective security patches [1]. The vulnerability is triggered via unspecified vectors within the guest.

Exploitation

An attacker with user-level access to the Windows 8.1 guest OS can exploit this vulnerability by triggering the NULL pointer dereference through unspecified vectors [1]. No authentication from the host or network access is required; the attacker must be able to execute code or interact with the vulnerable component within the guest.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows the attacker to escalate privileges within the guest operating system or cause a denial of service by crashing the guest OS via a kernel NULL pointer dereference [1]. The advisory explicitly states that this vulnerability does not allow privilege escalation from the guest to the host, so host memory and processes remain isolated.

Mitigation

VMware has released patches for all affected products: Workstation 10.0.2, Player 6.0.2, Fusion 6.0.3, and ESXi patches ESXi550-201403102-SG, ESXi510-201404102-SG, and ESXi500-201405102-SG [1]. Users should apply the appropriate update. No workarounds are documented in the advisory.