Format string vulnerability in VMware OVF Tool 2.1 on Windows, as used in VMware Workstation 8.x before 8.0.5, VMware Player 4.x before 4.0.5, and other products, allows user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted OVF file.
CVE-2012-3569
This CVE was only ever scored under CVSS v2.0. NVD CVSS v2.0 base 9.3 — v2 rates that HIGH (v2 bands: LOW 0.0–3.9 / MEDIUM 4.0–6.9 / HIGH 7.0–10.0; v2 has no CRITICAL band). Vector AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C. CVSS v2 is an older, coarser metric than v3.1/v4.0 (no Scope, no User Interaction, no Attack Requirements), so it is not directly comparable to a v3 or v4 score. NVD has never re-scored this record under v3. EPSS predicts 47.7% exploitation probability in the next 30 days, which is reflected in EG Risk but does not lift the v2 base. Confidence: LOW.
- Public exploit code is available (Metasploit, Exploit-DB (verified), epss top5pct, public exploit)
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v2.0 (legacy)
- 9.3HIGHNVD never assigned a CVSS v3 rating to this CVE
- EG Score
- 9.3(low)
- EG Risk
- 72(Track)EG Risk 72/100SSVC: Track
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).
How it’s computedSeverity93% × 45%Exploitation65% × 40%Automatability30% × 15%Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence. - EPSS PROB
- 48%
- EPSS %ILE
- 99%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
November 14, 2012
Last Modified
April 29, 2026
References (12)
- cve@mitrehttp://osvdb.org/87117
- cve@mitrehttp://packetstormsecurity.com/files/120101/VMWare-OVF-Tools-Format-String.html
- cve@mitrehttp://secunia.com/advisories/51240
- cve@mitrehttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/msvr/msvr13-002
- cve@mitrehttp://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2012-0015.html
- cve@mitrehttps://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/79922
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://osvdb.org/87117
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/120101/VMWare-OVF-Tools-Format-String.html
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://secunia.com/advisories/51240
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/msvr/msvr13-002
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2012-0015.html
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/79922
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 9× in last 7d / 30× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-07-26 13:46 UTCEG score recompute▲ 9.30
- 2026-07-25 14:12 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-23 14:14 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-23 01:07 UTCEG score recompute▼ 2.90
- 2026-07-23 00:11 UTCEG score recompute▲ 2.90
- 2026-07-22 21:49 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-22 14:04 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-22 14:04 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-21 15:21 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-20 17:03 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-07-19 02:25 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-07-16 16:58 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-07-13 22:25 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-13 06:08 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-11 08:22 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-08 15:10 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-07-06 02:19 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-06 02:19 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-02 14:01 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-01 15:02 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-30 23:19 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-30 23:19 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-29 14:02 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-28 04:53 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-27 03:05 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-27 03:05 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-25 13:46 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-25 13:46 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-23 21:30 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-21 14:53 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-21 01:56 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-21 01:56 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-18 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-18 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-17 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-17 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-16 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-16 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-15 17:44 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-12 23:08 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-10 22:14 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-10 13:18 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-08 14:14 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-08 14:14 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-07 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-07 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-06 13:45 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-06 13:45 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-05 22:44 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-05 22:44 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-05 06:08 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-05 06:08 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-02 20:10 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-02 20:10 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-01 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-31 00:14 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-31 00:14 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-29 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-29 01:55 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-05-29 01:55 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 11:21 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 11:21 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 11:21 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-18 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-18 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
Publicly available exploits
(4 references)Working exploit code is in the public domain (2 Metasploit modules) (2 Exploit-DB entries). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- Exploit-DBEDB-24461✓ verifiedFirst seen Feb 12, 2013
VMware OVF Tools - Format String (Metasploit) (2)
Open source ↗ - Exploit-DBEDB-24460✓ verifiedFirst seen Feb 6, 2013
VMware OVF Tools - Format String (Metasploit) (1)
Open source ↗ - Metasploitexploit/windows/fileformat/ovf_format_string✓ verifiedFirst seen Nov 8, 2012
VMWare OVF Tools Format String Vulnerability
Open source ↗ - Metasploitexploit/windows/browser/ovftool_format_string✓ verifiedFirst seen Nov 8, 2012
VMWare OVF Tools Format String Vulnerability
Open source ↗
Related CVEs(same CWE)
Same CWE
10 shownCWE-134
- CVE-2008-7228EG 10.0HIGH
- CVE-2009-1210EG 10.0EPSS p96HIGH
- CVE-2008-6520EG 10.0EPSS p91HIGH
- CVE-2008-6519EG 10.0EPSS p92HIGH
- CVE-2008-5982EG 10.0EPSS p94HIGH
- CVE-2008-3533EG 10.0EPSS p97HIGH
- CVE-2008-3116EG 10.0EPSS p92HIGH
- CVE-2008-0764EG 10.0EPSS p94HIGH
- CVE-2007-5561EG 10.0EPSS p94HIGH
- CVE-2007-1006EG 10.0HIGH
Frequently asked(4)
What is CVE-2012-3569?
When was CVE-2012-3569 disclosed?
Is CVE-2012-3569 actively exploited?
How do I remediate CVE-2012-3569?
Dependency Blast Radius
Explore the affected products and dependency analysis for CVE-2012-3569
Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2012-3569?
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