HOME VULNERABILITIESCVE-2015-8701

MEDIUM

CVE-2015-8701

CWE-193Published: December 29, 2016· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

6.5

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

QEMU (aka Quick Emulator) built with the Rocker switch emulation support is vulnerable to an off-by-one error. It happens while processing transmit (tx) descriptors in 'tx_consume' routine, if a descriptor was to have more than allowed (ROCKER_TX_FRAGS_MAX=16) fragments. A privileged user inside guest could use this flaw to cause memory leakage on the host or crash the QEMU process instance resulting in DoS issue.

Technical Analysis

CVE-2015-8701 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

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

A successful exploit results in availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 6.5.

The vulnerability has a "Changed" scope, meaning successful exploitation can impact components beyond the vulnerable component itself — such as the host operating system or adjacent services.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability

Attack VectorLocal

Attack ComplexityLow

Privileges Req.Low

User InteractionNone

ScopeChanged

Impact

ConfidentialityNone

IntegrityNone

AvailabilityHigh

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

qemu1 product(s)

qemu

Source: NVD CPE · 1 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time

Offensive Security exploit database

GitHub PoC Search

Community PoC repositories

Rapid7 / Metasploit

Metasploit module search

Security advisories & exploits

Official NIST entry

CVE Program entry

External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttps://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2015-12/msg04629.html

PATCHhttps://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2015-12/msg04629.html

ADVISORYhttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/12/28/6

ADVISORYhttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/12/29/1

ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/79706

ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201602-01

ADVISORYhttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/12/28/6

ADVISORYhttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/12/29/1

ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/79706

ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201602-01

All References (12)

→

http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/12/28/6Mailing List · Third Party Advisory

→

http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/12/29/1Mailing List · Third Party Advisory

→

http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/79706Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry

→

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1286971Issue Tracking

→

https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2015-12/msg04629.htmlPatch · Vendor Advisory

→

https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201602-01Third Party Advisory

→

http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/12/28/6Mailing List · Third Party Advisory

→

http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/12/29/1Mailing List · Third Party Advisory

→

http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/79706Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry

→

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1286971Issue Tracking

→

https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2015-12/msg04629.htmlPatch · Vendor Advisory

→

https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201602-01Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2015-8701

CVSS Score6.5 / 10

SeverityMEDIUM

WeaknessCWE-193

CISA KEVNo

Affected1 vendor(s)

PublishedDec 29, 2016

Related CVEs (CWE-193)

Recommended Actions

→Apply vendor patches immediately
→Monitor CVE-2015-8701 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.

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