CVE-2020-16092: Low severity qemu vulnerability

Published Jul 24, 2020
·
Updated

An assertion failure flaw was found in QEMU in the network packet processing component. This issue affects the "e1000e" and "vmxnet3" network devices. This flaw allows a malicious guest user or process to abort the QEMU process on the host, resulting in a denial of service.

Other sources

An assertion failure issue was found in the nettxpktaddrawfragment() function in hw/net/nettxpkt.c. This assertion comes from the code that processes network packets. This code is shared between e1000e, vmxnet3 and apparently a few more devices. A malicious guest user/process could abuse this flaw to abort the QEMU process on the host, resulting in a denial of service condition.

Red Hat

In QEMU through 5.0.0, an assertion failure can occur in the network packet processing. This issue affects the e1000e and vmxnet3 network devices. A malicious guest user/process could use this flaw to abort the QEMU process on the host, resulting in a denial of service condition in nettxpktaddrawfragment in hw/net/nettxpkt.c.

Affected Software

12 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/qemu-kvm-ma<10:2.12.0-48.el7_9.2
10:2.12.0-48.el7_9.2
redhat/qemu-kvm<10:1.5.3-175.el7_9.3
10:1.5.3-175.el7_9.3
redhat/qemu-kvm-rhev<10:2.12.0-48.el7_9.2
10:2.12.0-48.el7_9.2
redhat/qemu-kvm<5.1.0
5.1.0
Qemu Qemu<=5.0.0
Debian Debian Linux=9.0
Debian Debian Linux=10.0
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=16.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=18.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=20.04
openSUSE Leap=15.2
debian/qemu
1:5.2+dfsg-11+deb11u31:5.2+dfsg-11+deb11u41:7.2+dfsg-7+deb12u131:10.0.0+ds-2

Event History

Jul 27, 2020
CVE Published
12:00 AM
Aug 11, 2020
CVE Published
via MITRE·03:55 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·03:55 PM
Description
Jan 11, 2024
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·11:43 PM
Description
Sep 16, 2024
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·02:23 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
May 2, 2025
Data Sourced
via Debian·01:13 AM
DescriptionAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

Free Weekly Intel

Don't miss critical vulnerabilities

Join thousands of security professionals who receive our weekly digest of trending CVEs, zero-days, and exploited vulnerabilities.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the vulnerability ID?

The vulnerability ID is CVE-2020-16092.

2

What is the severity of CVE-2020-16092?

The severity of CVE-2020-16092 is low.

3

Which software is affected by CVE-2020-16092?

QEMU versions up to 5.0.0 are affected, specifically the e1000e and vmxnet3 network devices.

4

How can a malicious user exploit CVE-2020-16092?

A malicious guest user/process could exploit CVE-2020-16092 to abort the QEMU process on the host, causing a denial of service.

5

Where can I find more information about CVE-2020-16092?

You can find more information about CVE-2020-16092 in the following references: [Reference 1](https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi/show_bug.cgi?id=1861058), [Reference 2](https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi/show_bug.cgi?id=1861059), [Reference 3](https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi/show_bug.cgi?id=1861060).

Contact

SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
132 Wickham Terrace
Fortitude Valley,
QLD 4006, Australia
info@secalerts.co
By using SecAlerts services, you agree to our services end-user license agreement. This website is safeguarded by reCAPTCHA and governed by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. All names, logos, and brands of products are owned by their respective owners, and any usage of these names, logos, and brands for identification purposes only does not imply endorsement. If you possess any content that requires removal, please get in touch with us.
© 2026 SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
ABN: 70 645 966 203, ACN: 645 966 203