Race condition in QEMU
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 3 fixed, 5 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-120 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
A flaw was found in the QXL display device emulation in QEMU. A double fetch of guest controlled values `cursor->header.width` and `cursor->header.height` can lead to the allocation of a small cursor object followed by a subsequent heap-based buffer overflow. A malicious privileged guest user could use this flaw to crash the QEMU process on the host or potentially execute arbitrary code within the context of the QEMU process.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | QEMU | qemu-kvm 7.0.0 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- QEMU Vendor— Affected qemu-kvm 7.0.0 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 5
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:qemu:qemu:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 7.0.0 | Vulnerable | QEMU |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:-:*:*:* | 8.0 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:advanced_virtualization:*:*:* | 8.0 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 10.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 11.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
- cpe:2.3:a:qemu:qemu:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 7.0.0 Vulnerable ·QEMU
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:-:*:*:* Versions 8.0 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:advanced_virtualization:*:*:* Versions 8.0 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 10.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 11.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
Remediation
Red Hat 2 advisories
- RHSA-2022:5821 Released 2022-08-02 · Red Hat rating Moderatevirt:rhel and virt-devel:rhel security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 8) SLOF-20210217-1.module+el8.6.0+14480+c0a3aa0f.noarch::virt:rhel, SLOF-20210217-1.module+el8.6.0+14480+c0a3aa0f.src::virt:rhel, hivex-1.3.18-23.module+el8.6.0+14480+c0a3aa0f.aarch64::virt:rhel +47
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8) SLOF-20210217-1.module+el8.6.0+14480+c0a3aa0f.src::virt-devel:rhel, hivex-1.3.18-23.module+el8.6.0+14480+c0a3aa0f.i686::virt-devel:rhel, hivex-devel-1.3.18-23.module+el8.6.0+14480+c0a3aa0f.i686::virt-devel:rhel +47
- RHSA-2022:5002 Released 2022-06-13 · Red Hat rating Moderatevirt:av and virt-devel:av security and bug fix update
- Advanced Virtualization for RHEL 8.4.0.EUS SLOF-20200717-1.gite18ddad8.module+el8.4.0+8855+a9e237a9.noarch::virt:av, SLOF-20200717-1.gite18ddad8.module+el8.4.0+8855+a9e237a9.src::virt-devel:av, SLOF-20200717-1.gite18ddad8.module+el8.4.0+8855+a9e237a9.src::virt:av +47
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Advanced Virtualization | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat OpenStack Platform 10 (Newton) | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat OpenStack Platform 13 (Queens) | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Advanced Virtualization for RHEL 8.4.0.EUS | Fixed | RHSA-2022:5002 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2022:5821 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2022:5821 |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2021-4207
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-9p8r-v33g-4939
References
Sources
- CVE-2021-4207 · CVE Program
- CVE-2021-4207 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-9p8r-v33g-4939 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2021-4207 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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