The vmx86 kernel extension in VMware Fusion before 2.0.6 build 196839 does not use correct file permissions, which allows host OS users to gain privileges on the host OS via unspecified vectors.
CVE-2009-3281
- No confirmed exploitation signals yet
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- —
- EG Score
- 0.0(none)
- EPSS
- 56.4%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
October 16, 2009
Last Modified
April 23, 2026
References (10)
- cve@mitrehttp://lists.vmware.com/pipermail/security-announce/2009/000066.html
- cve@mitrehttp://secunia.com/advisories/36928
- cve@mitrehttp://securitytracker.com/id?1022981
- cve@mitrehttp://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2009-0013.html
- cve@mitrehttp://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/2811
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://lists.vmware.com/pipermail/security-announce/2009/000066.html
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://secunia.com/advisories/36928
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://securitytracker.com/id?1022981
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2009-0013.html
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/2811
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 7× in last 7d / 42× 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.
- 2026-07-06 16:23 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-06 02:19 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-06 02:19 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-05 02:26 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-07-04 06:27 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-01 15:02 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-30 23:19 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-28 14:03 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-28 04:52 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-27 03:05 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-25 13:46 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-24 14:02 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-23 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-22 14:22 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-21 14:53 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-19 19:22 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-18 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-17 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-17 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-16 17:49 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-15 17:44 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-14 23:14 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-13 22:57 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-12 23:08 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-10 13:17 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-08 14:13 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-07 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-06 13:44 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-06 13:44 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-05 22:44 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-05 06:07 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-04 13:09 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-04 13:09 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-02 20:10 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-02 20:10 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-01 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-01 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-31 22:28 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-31 22:28 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-31 00:13 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-31 00:13 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-30 14:54 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-05-30 14:54 UTCGHSA enrichment
- 2026-05-29 13:40 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-26 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-26 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-26 07:16 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-26 07:16 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-24 16:43 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 22:37 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 11:21 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-20 11:20 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-18 21:29 UTCEPSS rescore
Publicly available exploits
(1 reference)Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Exploit-DB entry). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- Exploit-DBEDB-10076✓ verifiedFirst seen Oct 2, 2009
VMware Fusion 2.0.5 - vmx86 kext Kernel Privilege Escalation
Open source ↗
Frequently asked(4)
What is CVE-2009-3281?
When was CVE-2009-3281 disclosed?
Is CVE-2009-3281 actively exploited?
How do I remediate CVE-2009-3281?
Dependency Blast Radius
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