CVE-2016-7084 in Workstation
Summary
by MITRE
tpview.dll in 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, allows guest OS users to execute arbitrary code on the host OS or cause a denial of service (host OS memory corruption) via a JPEG 2000 image.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/19/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-7084 resides within the tpview.dll component of VMware Workstation Pro and Player versions prior to 12.5.0 on Windows platforms. This flaw specifically manifests when the Cortado ThinPrint virtual printing feature is enabled, creating a critical security risk that bridges the guest operating system to the host environment. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of JPEG 2000 image files within the virtual printing subsystem, allowing malicious code execution in a manner that violates the fundamental isolation principles that virtualization environments are designed to maintain. The flaw represents a classic privilege escalation vector where untrusted input from a guest system can be manipulated to affect the host system's memory management and execution flow.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves memory corruption that occurs when the tpview.dll module processes JPEG 2000 image files through the Cortado ThinPrint printing interface. When a guest operating system user presents a specially crafted JPEG 2000 image to the virtual printer, the host system's memory management becomes corrupted through buffer overflow or other memory manipulation techniques. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and potentially CWE-125, which covers out-of-bounds read conditions. The flaw exploits the trust relationship between guest and host systems within virtualized environments where the virtual printing functionality is designed to facilitate seamless printing between guest and host systems, but lacks proper input validation and sanitization mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution to encompass potential system compromise and denial of service conditions. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code with host system privileges, effectively breaking the isolation boundary that virtualization platforms are meant to provide. This creates a scenario where a guest operating system user can gain elevated privileges on the host system, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or persistent backdoor installation. The vulnerability also enables denial of service attacks by corrupting host system memory, which can result in system crashes or instability that affects the entire virtualization environment and potentially other virtual machines running on the same host.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to VMware Workstation Pro 12.5.0 or later versions, or VMware Workstation Player 12.5.0 or later, to address this vulnerability. The recommended approach involves disabling the Cortado ThinPrint virtual printing feature entirely when it is not required, as this eliminates the attack surface associated with the vulnerable tpview.dll component. Security teams should also consider implementing network-level controls to restrict access to virtualization environments and monitor for suspicious printing activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation, with the attack chain potentially involving T1078 for valid accounts and T1547 for persistence mechanisms. Organizations should also conduct vulnerability assessments to identify other potentially affected systems and ensure that all virtualization platforms are kept current with security patches, as this vulnerability represents a significant risk to enterprise environments that rely on virtualized infrastructure for development, testing, and production workloads.