CVE-2016-7083 in Workstation
Summary
by MITRE
VMware Workstation Pro 12.x before 12.5.0 and VMware Workstation Player 12.x before 12.5.0 on Windows, when Cortado ThinPrint virtual printing is enabled, allow guest OS users to execute arbitrary code on the host OS or cause a denial of service (host OS memory corruption) via TrueType fonts embedded in EMFSPOOL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/21/2025
This vulnerability exists in VMware Workstation Pro and Player versions prior to 12.5.0 on Windows platforms where the Cortado ThinPrint virtual printing feature is enabled. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation and memory handling within the EMFSPOOL component that processes TrueType font data embedded in print jobs. When a guest operating system user submits print commands containing specially crafted TrueType fonts, the host system's memory management routines fail to properly validate the font data structure, leading to potential buffer overflows or memory corruption issues. This represents a classic privilege escalation vulnerability where guest users can leverage the virtualized printing functionality to compromise the host environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the interaction between the guest operating system's print spooler and VMware's virtual printing layer. When TrueType fonts are embedded in EMFSPOOL data streams, the host system's printer driver emulation process does not adequately sanitize the font data before processing. This allows malicious font structures to trigger memory corruption patterns that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code with host system privileges or cause system crashes through memory corruption. The vulnerability specifically targets the Windows host environment's handling of printer spooler data and demonstrates poor input validation practices that align with CWE-121, which covers stack-based buffer overflow conditions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to include full system compromise capabilities. An attacker with access to a guest operating system can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute malicious code on the host system, effectively breaking the isolation boundary between guest and host environments. This represents a critical security flaw in virtualization software that undermines the fundamental security model of virtual machines. The vulnerability affects both VMware Workstation Pro and Player editions, making it accessible to a broad range of users who may not be security experts, and the attack vector through legitimate print operations makes detection difficult.
Organizations using affected VMware products should immediately apply the vendor-provided patches to address this vulnerability. The recommended mitigation includes upgrading to VMware Workstation Pro 12.5.0 or later versions, or VMware Workstation Player 12.5.0 or later. Security teams should also consider disabling the Cortado ThinPrint virtual printing feature if it is not essential for business operations. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and command and control operations, as attackers could establish persistent access through code execution on the host system. Additionally, the vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation in virtualization components and highlights the need for proper memory management practices in hypervisor and virtual device drivers. The attack scenario represents a sophisticated exploitation technique that leverages legitimate virtualization features to bypass traditional security controls, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments where virtualization is extensively deployed.