Untrusted search path vulnerability in the HGFS (aka Shared Folders) feature in VMware Tools 10.0.5 in VMware ESXi 5.0 through 6.0, VMware Workstation Pro 12.1.x before 12.1.1, VMware Workstation Player 12.1.x before 12.1.1, and VMware Fusion 8.1.x before 8.1.1 allows local users to gain privileges via a Trojan horse DLL in the current working directory.
The product searches for critical resources using an externally-supplied search path that can point to resources that are not under the product’s direct control.
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workstation_player | Vmware | 12.1.0 (including) | 12.1.1 (excluding) |
| Workstation_pro | Vmware | 12.1.0 (including) | 12.1.1 (excluding) |
| Esxi | Vmware | 5.0 (including) | 6.0 (including) |
This might allow attackers to execute their own programs, access unauthorized data files, or modify configuration in unexpected ways. If the product uses a search path to locate critical resources such as programs, then an attacker could modify that search path to point to a malicious program, which the targeted product would then execute. The problem extends to any type of critical resource that the product trusts. Some of the most common variants of untrusted search path are: