Resource allocation without limits in xen
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 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-770.
Summary
Xenstore: guests can let run xenstored out of memory T[his CNA information record relates to multiple CVEs; the text explains which aspects/vulnerabilities correspond to which CVE.] Malicious guests can cause xenstored to allocate vast amounts of memory, eventually resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS) of xenstored. There are multiple ways how guests can cause large memory allocations in xenstored: - - by issuing new requests to xenstored without reading the responses, causing the responses to be buffered in memory - - by causing large number of watch events to be generated via setting up multiple xenstore watches and then e.g. deleting many xenstore nodes below the watched path - - by creating as many nodes as allowed with the maximum allowed size and path length in as many transactions as possible - - by accessing many nodes inside a transaction
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xen | xen | — | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- xen VendorXen Affected — Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 5
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Vulnerable | Xen |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 11.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:35:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 35 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:36:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 36 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:37:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 37 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
- cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Vulnerable ·Xen
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 11.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:35:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 35 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:36:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 36 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:37:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 37 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Advisory ·
xen — FEDORA-2022-9f51d13fa3
19 records Highest priority Priority LOW 19 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2022-20525 Xenstore: Guests can crash xenstored Due to a bug in the fix of XSA-115 a malicious guest…Priority LOW 38
- TI-2022-20543 Improper access control in xenPriority LOW 33
- TI-2022-20536 Xenstore: Guests can get access to Xenstore nodes of deleted domains Access rights of…Priority LOW 33
- Advisory ·
xen — FEDORA-2022-07438e12df
19 records Highest priority Priority LOW 19 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2022-20525 Xenstore: Guests can crash xenstored Due to a bug in the fix of XSA-115 a malicious guest…Priority LOW 38
- TI-2022-20543 Improper access control in xenPriority LOW 33
- TI-2022-20536 Xenstore: Guests can get access to Xenstore nodes of deleted domains Access rights of…Priority LOW 33
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2022-42318
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-j33c-mrwq-fprw
References
More Xen vulnerabilities
- TI-2012-00210 The x86-64 kernel system-call functionality in Xen 4.1.2 and earlier, as used in Citrix… CVSS 2.0HIGH 7.2
- TI-2023-07042 Information disclosure through error messages in AMD Ryzen™ 3000 Series Desktop… CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.5
- TI-2015-04333 The C+ mode offload emulation in the RTL8139 network card device model in QEMU, as used… CVSS 2.0HIGH 9.3
- TI-2015-06741 The KVM subsystem in the Linux kernel through 4.2.6, and Xen 4.3.x through 4.6.x, allows… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 10.0
- TI-2018-06436 A statement in the System Programming Guide of the Intel 64 and IA-32 Architectures… CVSS 3.0HIGH 7.8
- TI-2024-20522 x86: Incorrect logic for BTC/SRSO mitigations CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
Sources
- CVE-2022-42318 · CVE Program
- CVE-2022-42318 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-j33c-mrwq-fprw · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences