HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2015-3456
HIGHPOC

CVE-2015-3456

CWE-119Published: May 13, 2015· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.7
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

The Floppy Disk Controller (FDC) in QEMU, as used in Xen 4.5.x and earlier and KVM, allows local guest users to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds write and guest crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via the (1) FD_CMD_READ_ID, (2) FD_CMD_DRIVE_SPECIFICATION_COMMAND, or other unspecified commands, aka VENOM.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2015-3456 requires adjacent network access, limiting remote exploitation but still posing risk in shared or local network environments.

Exploitation requires some privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit exists for CVE-2015-3456. While not yet confirmed in active campaigns, the availability of PoC code increases exploitation risk substantially.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-119): Buffer overflow vulnerabilities can lead to arbitrary code execution or denial of service by corrupting adjacent memory.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorAdjacent
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.
User Interaction
Scope
Impact
ConfidentialityC
IntegrityC
AvailabilityC
AV:A/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C

Affected Vendors & Products

qemu1 product(s)
qemu
Red Hat3 product(s)
enterprise virtualizationopenstackenterprise linux
xen1 product(s)
xen
Source: NVD CPE · 10 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

POC AVAILABLEProof-of-concept code exists
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

All References (96)

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2015-3456
CVSS Score7.7 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-119
CISA KEVNo
ExploitPOC
Affected3 vendor(s)
PublishedMay 13, 2015

Related CVEs (CWE-119)

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2015-3456 in threat intel feeds
  • Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.