Libvirt: denial of service in xml parsing
Priority LOW 24CWE-770Published · Updated
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
- Partial Red Hat: 4 fixed, 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-770.
Summary
A flaw was discovered in libvirt in the XML file processing. More specifically, the parsing of user provided XML files was performed before the ACL checks. A malicious user with limited permissions could exploit this flaw by submitting a specially crafted XML file, causing libvirt to allocate too much memory on the host. The excessive memory consumption could lead to a libvirt process crash on the host, resulting in a denial-of-service condition.
Why it matters now
Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00223 13th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Partial Red Hat: 2 advisoriesRed Hat: 4 fixed, 3 without a fix
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | libvirt | up to 11.9.0 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | — | 11.10.0-12.el10_2 | Patch available | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | — | 11.10.0-12.el9_8 | Patch available | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | — | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | — | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | — | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- libvirt Vendor— Affected up to 11.9.0 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in 11.10.0-12.el10_2 Patch available CNA
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in 11.10.0-12.el9_8 Patch available CNA
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE names CNA · 6
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:10.2 | 10.2 | — | Red Hat |
| cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | 9 | — | Red Hat |
| cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:9::crb | 9 | — | Red Hat |
| cpe:/o:redhat:rhel_els:6 | 6 | — | Red Hat |
| cpe:/o:redhat:rhel_els:7 | 7 | — | Red Hat |
| cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:8 | 8 | — | Red Hat |
- cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:10.2 Versions 10.2 — ·Red Hat
- cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream Versions 9 — ·Red Hat
- cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:9::crb Versions 9 — ·Red Hat
- cpe:/o:redhat:rhel_els:6 Versions 6 — ·Red Hat
- cpe:/o:redhat:rhel_els:7 Versions 7 — ·Red Hat
- cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:8 Versions 8 — ·Red Hat
Remediation
Red Hat 2 advisories
- RHSA-2026:18748 Released 2026-05-19 · Red Hat rating Moderatelibvirt security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) libvirt-11.10.0-12.el9_8, libvirt-client-11.10.0-12.el9_8, libvirt-client-qemu-11.10.0-12.el9_8 +26
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9) libvirt-daemon-plugin-sanlock-11.10.0-12.el9_8, libvirt-devel-11.10.0-12.el9_8, libvirt-docs-11.10.0-12.el9_8
- RHSA-2026:18326 Released 2026-05-19 · Red Hat rating Moderatelibvirt security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10) libvirt-11.10.0-12.el10_2, libvirt-client-11.10.0-12.el10_2, libvirt-client-qemu-11.10.0-12.el10_2 +26
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 10) libvirt-daemon-plugin-sanlock-11.10.0-12.el10_2, libvirt-devel-11.10.0-12.el10_2, libvirt-docs-11.10.0-12.el10_2
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 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:18326 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:18748 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:18326 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:18748 |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-12748
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-qwrw-p888-cc55
References
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Sources
- CVE-2025-12748 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-12748 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-qwrw-p888-cc55 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-12748 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences