MEDIUM
CVE-2016-2197
CWE-476Published: December 29, 2016· Updated: Jun 17, 2026
5.5
CVSS v3.1
Official Description
QEMU (aka Quick Emulator) built with an IDE AHCI emulation support is vulnerable to a null pointer dereference flaw. It occurs while unmapping the Frame Information Structure (FIS) and Command List Block (CLB) entries. A privileged user inside guest could use this flaw to crash the QEMU process instance resulting in DoS.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2016-2197 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 5.5.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.Low
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.
Official Patches & Advisories
All References (12)
→
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/01/29/2Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/01/30/1Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/82235Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1302057Issue Tracking
→
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2016-01/msg05742.htmlPatch · Vendor Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201604-01Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/01/29/2Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/01/30/1Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/82235Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1302057Issue Tracking
→
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2016-01/msg05742.htmlPatch · Vendor Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201604-01Third Party Advisory
Quick Facts
CVE IDCVE-2016-2197
CVSS Score5.5 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-476
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedDec 29, 2016
Related CVEs (CWE-476)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2016-2197 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.