Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2009-1143 affects open-vm-tools 2009.03.18-154848. A local user could abuse a symlink race in the VMware shared-folder mount helper to bypass intended share-mount restrictions. This is not a remote internet exploit, but on exposed multi-user virtual machines it could undermine confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted remediation item for legacy virtual-machine environments, not a broad emergency. Prioritize if affected VMs have untrusted local users, shared folders enabled, or sensitive data exposure through guest-to-host file sharing.
Technical view
The issue is a CWE-59 symlink attack involving a realpath race condition in mount.vmhgfs, also known as hgfsmounter. CVSS 3.1 rates it 7.0 high with local attack vector, high complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, unchanged scope, and high CIA impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to systems running the cited open-vm-tools 2009.03.18-154848 build with VMware HGFS shared-folder mounting available to local users. The source bundle does not enumerate affected downstream packages, distributions, or fixed versions.
Exploitation context
The source bundle marks KEV as false and provides no evidence of active exploitation. Exploitation requires local access and a race condition, raising complexity, but successful abuse could bypass intended mount restrictions and affect sensitive files or system state.
Researcher notes
Evidence is sparse: the CVE record names the vulnerable open-vm-tools release and bug references, but affected CPEs and fixed versions are not supplied. Validate against vendor and distribution records before declaring scope or closure.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory open-vm-tools versions and identify systems matching 2009.03.18-154848.
- Check VMware, open-vm-tools, and distribution guidance for fixed packages before patching.
- Disable HGFS/shared-folder mounting where it is not operationally required.
- Restrict local user access and mount-helper execution on affected virtual machines.
- Prioritize multi-user VMs and systems handling sensitive data.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether mount.vmhgfs or hgfsmounter exists on candidate systems.
- Verify whether VMware shared folders or HGFS mounts are enabled.
- Map installed package versions to vendor or distribution advisory status.
- Review local user populations and privilege boundaries on affected VMs.
- Do not claim active exploitation unless KEV or another cited source confirms it.
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
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CWE-59: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2009-1143 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
- High
- CVSS
- 7 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/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:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H15.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/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.