CVE-2017-15268: High severity Qemu Qemu vulnerability
Last updated 25 August 2025
Other sources
Qemu through 2.10.0 allows remote attackers to cause a memory leak by triggering slow data-channel read operations, related to io/channel-websock.c.
— Launchpad
Quick Emulator(Qemu) built with the I/O channels websockets support is vulnerable to a memory leakage issue. It could occur while sending screen updates to a client, which is slow to read and process them further.
A privileged guest user could use this flaw to cause a DoS on the host and/or potentially crash the Qemu process instance on the host.
Upstream patch: --------------- -> https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2017-10/msg02278.html
References: ----------- -> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1718964 -> http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/10/12/4
— Red Hat
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
debian/qemuto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 1:7.2+dfsg-7+deb12u18Fixed in 1:7.2+dfsg-7+deb12u15Fixed in 1:10.0.13+ds-0+deb13u1Fixed in 1:10.0.2+ds-2+deb13u1Fixed in 1:11.1.2+ds-3
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2017-15268?
CVE-2017-15268 has been classified as a moderate severity vulnerability due to its potential for causing memory leaks.
How do I fix CVE-2017-15268?
To fix CVE-2017-15268, upgrade to a patched version of QEMU such as 1:5.2+dfsg-11+deb11u3 or newer.
What software is affected by CVE-2017-15268?
CVE-2017-15268 affects QEMU versions up to and including 2.10.0 that support I/O channels with websockets.
Why is CVE-2017-15268 a concern for remote attackers?
CVE-2017-15268 allows remote attackers to exploit slow data-channel read operations, leading to a memory leak.
How can I determine if my QEMU installation is vulnerable to CVE-2017-15268?
You can determine vulnerability by checking if your QEMU version is 2.10.0 or earlier and if it includes websockets support.