How severe is CVE-2012-1516?

CVE-2012-1516 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.9, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2012-1516 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (87th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2012-1516?

CVE-2012-1516 primarily affects Vmware Esx. In total, 14 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2012-1516?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2012-1516 published?

CVE-2012-1516 was published on 2012-05-04 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2012-1516

CVE-2012-1516 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Vmware Esx with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.9. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-119.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.9)
CVSS v2: 9.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (87th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-119
Affected product: Vmware Esx
Published: 2012-05-04
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

The VMX process in VMware ESXi 3.5 through 4.1 and ESX 3.5 through 4.1 does not properly handle RPC commands, which allows guest OS users to cause a denial of service (memory overwrite and process crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code on the host OS via vectors involving data pointers.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2012-1516?: The VMX process in VMware ESXi 3.5 through 4.1 and ESX 3.5 through 4.1 does not properly handle RPC commands, which allows guest OS users to cause a denial of service (memory overwrite and process crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code on the host OS via vectors involving data pointers.
How severe is CVE-2012-1516?: CVE-2012-1516 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.9, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2012-1516 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (87th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2012-1516?: CVE-2012-1516 primarily affects Vmware Esx. In total, 14 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2012-1516?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2012-1516 published?: CVE-2012-1516 was published on 2012-05-04 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (14)

cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esx:3.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esx:3.5:update1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esx:3.5:update2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esx:3.5:update3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esx:4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esx:4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:3.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:3.5:1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:4.0:1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:4.0:2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:4.0:3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:4.0:4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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