CVE-2016-2538
CWE-189Published: June 16, 2016· Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Official Description
Multiple integer overflows in the USB Net device emulator (hw/usb/dev-network.c) in QEMU before 2.5.1 allow local guest OS administrators to cause a denial of service (QEMU process crash) or obtain sensitive host memory information via a remote NDIS control message packet that is mishandled in the (1) rndis_query_response, (2) rndis_set_response, or (3) usb_net_handle_dataout function.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2016-2538 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 complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.1.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
All References (18)
Quick Facts
Related CVEs (CWE-189)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2016-2538 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts