Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2009-1142 is a local privilege-escalation issue in open-vm-tools 2009.03.18-154848. A user who already has local access may gain root-level privileges through unsafe handling of temporary-file symlinks, but only when specific setuid and function conditions are present.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted local privilege-escalation cleanup item, not an internet-scale emergency. Prioritize shared VMware guest systems and legacy images, then confirm vendor-supported remediation because the provided sources do not name a specific fixed release.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-59: improper link resolution before file access. Local users can abuse symlink handling involving /tmp files if vmware-user-suid-wrapper is setuid root and ChmodChownDirectory is enabled. CVSS 3.1 is 6.7 with local access, low complexity, high privileges required, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure appears limited to systems running open-vm-tools 2009.03.18-154848 with vmware-user-suid-wrapper setuid root and ChmodChownDirectory enabled. The source bundle does not identify broader affected versions, package distributions, or CPEs.
Exploitation context
The CVE requires local authenticated access with high privileges. The bundle does not cite active exploitation, and the issue is not marked CISA KEV. Risk is highest on shared or multi-user guest systems where local users can interact with affected VMware tools components.
Researcher notes
The record has sparse affected-product metadata: vendor, product, versions, and CPEs are listed as n/a except for the narrative version. Validation should focus on the exact version and required runtime conditions rather than assuming all open-vm-tools deployments are affected.
Mitigation direction
- Check VMware and distribution advisories for the supported fix or configuration guidance.
- Inventory systems running open-vm-tools 2009.03.18-154848.
- Review whether vmware-user-suid-wrapper is setuid root on affected systems.
- Disable ChmodChownDirectory only if vendor guidance supports that change.
- Reduce local shell access on potentially affected shared systems.
- Plan upgrade to a supported open-vm-tools package where applicable.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed open-vm-tools version on VMware guest systems.
- Verify vmware-user-suid-wrapper ownership and setuid permissions.
- Determine whether ChmodChownDirectory is enabled in the local configuration.
- Review package changelogs or vendor advisories for remediation status.
- Prioritize checks on shared Linux guests and systems with untrusted local users.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-59: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2009-1142 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.7 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H0.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.7MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://bugs.gentoo.org/264577CVE reference
- https://github.com/vmware/open-vm-tools/releases/tag/2009.03.18-154848CVE reference
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.