An issue was discovered in Xen through 4.14.x.
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-674.
Summary
An issue was discovered in Xen through 4.14.x. When they require assistance from the device model, x86 HVM guests must be temporarily de-scheduled. The device model will signal Xen when it has completed its operation, via an event channel, so that the relevant vCPU is rescheduled. If the device model were to signal Xen without having actually completed the operation, the de-schedule / re-schedule cycle would repeat. If, in addition, Xen is resignalled very quickly, the re-schedule may occur before the de-schedule was fully complete, triggering a shortcut. This potentially repeating process uses ordinary recursive function calls, and thus could result in a stack overflow. A malicious or buggy stubdomain serving a HVM guest can cause Xen to crash, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS) to the entire host. Only x86 systems are affected. Arm systems are not affected. Only x86 stubdomains serving HVM guests can exploit the vulnerability.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | all versions | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- — Vendor— Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 4
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:*:*:*:*:*:*:x86:* | up to 4.14.0 | Vulnerable | Xen |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 10.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:32:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 32 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:33:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 33 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
- cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:*:*:*:*:*:*:x86:* Versions up to 4.14.0 Vulnerable ·Xen
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 10.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:32:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 32 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:33:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 33 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Vendor assessments
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2020-29566
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-mr64-xwwr-mx4c
References
Sources
- CVE-2020-29566 · CVE Program
- CVE-2020-29566 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-mr64-xwwr-mx4c · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2020-29566 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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