# CVE-2024-38811: Code-execution vulnerability

> A malicious actor with standard user privileges can execute arbitrary code in the context of the VMware Fusion application via an insecure environment variable.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 3 Sep 2024
- **Updated:** 5 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-j6v2-m8w2-27f8

## What is CVE-2024-38811?

CVE-2024-38811 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in Vmware Fusion, published on 3 Sep 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

VMware Fusion (13.x before 13.6) contains a code-execution vulnerability due to the usage of an insecure environment variable. A malicious actor with standard user privileges may exploit this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the Fusion application.

Weakness: CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-38811?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Vmware Fusion.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-38811?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-38811 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-38811 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-38811 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Vmware Fusion

- [CVE-2020-3950](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-3950/): VMware Multiple Products Privilege Escalation (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2017-4901](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-4901/): Memory corruption in Fusion Pro / Fusion (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2024-22267](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-22267/): Use after free in VMware Fusion (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2019-5541](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-5541/): Memory corruption in Workstation and Fusion (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2023-20872](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-20872/): Memory corruption in VMware Workstation Pro / Player (Workstation) and VMware Fusion (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-38811 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-38811 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in Vmware Fusion, published on 3 Sep 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-38811 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Vmware Fusion. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-38811/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-38811/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-38811
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-38811
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-38811

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-38811/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.