One vulnerability could enable an attacker to execute code on the remote host. “Input data is not properly validated when loading Checkpoint files. This may allow an attacker with the ability to load a specially crafted Checkpoint file to execute arbitrary code on the host”, VMWare explained in the security advisory. The company thanked researcher Thorsten Tüllmann for reporting the issue.
The other vulnerability could cause a denial of service. “A device (e.g. CD-ROM, keyboard) that is available to a virtual machine while physically connected to a system that does not run the virtual machine is referred to as a remote device. Traffic coming from remote virtual devices is incorrectly handled. This may allow an attacker who is capable of manipulating the traffic from a remote virtual device to crash the virtual machine”, VMWare explained.
Systems affected include VMWare’s Player, Workstation, Fusion, ESX, and ESXi platforms.
Johannes Ullrich with the SANS Technology Institute said that the first vulnerability was the “most severe” of the two. "I would not consider either one of these as 'super critical', but in particular the first issue should be patched soon”, he wrote on a blog.