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TI-2026-71805 Aliases CVE-2026-79611GHSA-28w8-qvww-f539

Xen VMX VM entry failure with branch tracing kills guest

Priority LOW 24CWE-843Published · 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
No fix listed

Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-843 and the CVSS impact.

Summary

Xen is affected. The VMX VM entry checks reject a valid combination of state that occurs when a #DB is intercepted, single stepping is active, and STI or MovSS blocking is active, a problem introduced by the XSA-308 logic. With branch tracing enabled, the same check still fails, and a local user with low privileges can trigger a VM entry failure that is fatal to the guest (CWE-843).

Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-27

Description from the CNA

For XSA-308 logic was introduced, as VMX VMEntry checks do not like the exact combination of state which occurs when #DB in intercepted, Single Stepping is active, and blocked by STI/MovSS is active, despite this being a legitimate state to be in. The resulting VMEntry failure is fatal to the guest. Sadly there is another special sub-case of the above, with branch tracing enabled. In that case the prior adjustment would still cause a VMentry failure, as before fatal to the guest.

Why it matters now

Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00161 5th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix No fix listed No fixed version in the sources yet

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

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed inStatusSource
XenXen——No fix listedCNA
  • Xen VendorXen Affected — Fixed in — No fix listed CNA

Remediation

The sources list no fixed version for Xen.

Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-27

Vendor assessments

Red Hat

Red Hat's page for this CVE →

Not affected: 1 product
  • Red Hat

Timeline

  1. 2026-10-13 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-79611
  2. 2026-10-13 Alias added: GHSA-28w8-qvww-f539
  3. 2026-10-20 CVSS score added · CISA ADP
  4. 2026-10-20 Weakness changed · CISA ADP
  5. 2026-10-20 CISA SSVC decision points changed
  6. 2026-10-23 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
  7. 2026-10-23 CVSS score added · Red Hat

References

Other 1

  • 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
See all 541 →

Sources

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences