Critical Vulnerability in Xen Package: Race Condition Leading to Double Free
Summary
ALPINE-CVE-2017-10914: The grant-table feature in Xen through 4.8.x has a race condition leading to a double free, which allows guest OS users to cause a denial of service (memory consumption), or possibly obtain sensitive information or gain... Affects xen versions < 4.9.0-r0. Fixed in 4.9.0-r0. How to fix ↓
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Background
Xen is a powerful open-source hypervisor that enables the creation and management of virtual machines. It is widely used in cloud computing and virtualization environments due to its efficiency and flexibility. The Xen package allows users to run multiple operating systems on a single physical machine, providing isolation and resource management. However, it has been found to have a significant vulnerability that affects its stability and security.
Vulnerability Detail
The grant-table feature in Xen versions up to 4.8.x contains a race condition that can lead to a double free error. This vulnerability allows guest OS users to exploit the flaw, potentially causing a denial of service through excessive memory consumption. Additionally, it may enable unauthorized access to sensitive information or even privilege escalation, posing a severe risk to the integrity and confidentiality of the system.
How To Fix
Minimum fixed version
4.9.0-r0
This is the first release that contains the fix.
sudo apk add --upgrade xenTip — Not sure which version your app runs? Vulert can match this fix to it. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary workaround, consider restricting access to the Xen hypervisor to trusted users only, minimizing the risk of exploitation until the package can be updated.
Conclusion
The Xen package has a critical vulnerability due to a race condition in its grant-table feature, which can lead to severe security risks. It is crucial to update to the patched version to mitigate these risks and ensure the stability of your virtualized environments.
See every vulnerability recorded for xen →
FAQ
The CVSS score of this vulnerability is 8.1, indicating a high severity level.
The vulnerability can lead to denial of service, memory consumption issues, and potential unauthorized access to sensitive information.
You can use Vulert's playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
Xen versions up to 4.8.x are affected by this vulnerability.
Yes, updating to Xen version 4.9.0-r0 or later will permanently fix the vulnerability.
References
Related vulnerabilities
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