CVE-2016-1922
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Description
A NULL-pointer dereference flaw was found in the QEMU emulator built with TPR optimization for 32-bit Windows guests support. The flaw occurs when doing I/O-port write operations from the HMP interface. The 'current_cpu' value remains null because it is not called from the cpu_exec() loop, and dereferencing it results in the flaw. An attacker with access to the HMP interface could use this flaw to crash the QEMU instance (denial of service).
Statement
This issue does not affect the versions of the kvm and xen packages as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.
This issue does not affect the versions of the qemu-kvm packages as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, and the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 based versions of qemu-kvm-rhev packages as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization 3.
This issue affects the versions of the qemu-kvm packages as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.
This issue affects the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 based versions of the qemu-kvm-rhev packages as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization 3.
This has been rated as having Low security impact and is not currently planned to be addressed in future updates. For additional information, refer to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Life Cycle: https://access.redhat.com/support/policy/updates/errata/.
Additional information
- Bugzilla 1283934: Qemu: i386: null pointer dereference in vapic_write()
- CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference
- FAQ: Frequently asked questions about CVE-2016-1922
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
| Red Hat | NVD | |
|---|---|---|
CVSS v2 Base Score | 2.9 | 2.1 |
Attack Vector | Adjacent Network | Local |
Access Complexity | Medium | Low |
Authentication | None | None |
Confidentiality Impact | None | None |
Integrity Impact | None | None |
Availability Impact | Partial | Partial |
CVSS v2 Vector
Red Hat: AV:A/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
NVD: AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
NULL pointer dereferences usually result in the failure of the process unless exception handling (on some platforms) is available and implemented. Even when exception handling is being used, it can still be very difficult to return the software to a safe state of operation.
Integrity,Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Read Memory; Modify Memory
In rare circumstances, when NULL is equivalent to the 0x0 memory address and privileged code can access it, then writing or reading memory is possible, which may lead to code execution.
Acknowledgements
Red Hat would like to thank Ling Liu (Qihoo 360 Inc.) for reporting this issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Red Hat's CVSS v3 score or Impact different from other vendors?
My product is listed as "Under investigation" or "Affected", when will Red Hat release a fix for this vulnerability?
What can I do if my product is listed as "Will not fix"?
What can I do if my product is listed as "Fix deferred"?
What is a mitigation?
I have a Red Hat product but it is not in the above list, is it affected?
Why is my security scanner reporting my product as vulnerable to this vulnerability even though my product version is fixed or not affected?
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