CVE-2016-5242: Null Pointer Dereference

Published Jun 7, 2016

Updated

The p2mteardown function in arch/arm/p2m.c in Xen 4.4.x through 4.6.x allows local guest OS users with access to the driver domain to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and host OS crash) by creating concurrent domains and holding references to them, related to VMID exhaustion.

Affected Software

12 affected components

XEN Xen=4.4.0

XEN Xen=4.4.0-rc1

XEN Xen=4.4.1

XEN Xen=4.4.2

XEN Xen=4.4.3

XEN Xen=4.4.4

XEN Xen=4.5.0

XEN Xen=4.5.1

XEN Xen=4.5.2

XEN Xen=4.5.3

XEN Xen=4.6.0

XEN Xen=4.6.1

Event History

Jun 7, 2016

CVE Published

via MITRE·02:00 PM

Data Sourced

via MITRE·02:00 PM

Description

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the severity of CVE-2016-5242?

CVE-2016-5242 is considered a high severity vulnerability due to its potential to cause a denial of service by crashing the host OS.

How do I fix CVE-2016-5242?

To address CVE-2016-5242, users should upgrade to a patched version of Xen beyond 4.6.x that resolves the vulnerability.

What type of attack does CVE-2016-5242 facilitate?

CVE-2016-5242 enables local guest OS users to execute a denial of service attack against the host OS by exhausting VMIDs.

Which versions of Xen are affected by CVE-2016-5242?

CVE-2016-5242 affects Xen versions 4.4.x through 4.6.x.

Can CVE-2016-5242 be exploited remotely?

No, CVE-2016-5242 can only be exploited locally by guest OS users with access to the driver domain.