HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2016-6833
MEDIUM

CVE-2016-6833

CWE-416Published: December 10, 2016· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

4.4
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Use-after-free vulnerability in the vmxnet3_io_bar0_write function in hw/net/vmxnet3.c in QEMU (aka Quick Emulator) allows local guest OS administrators to cause a denial of service (QEMU instance crash) by leveraging failure to check if the device is active.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2016-6833 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires high 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 4.4.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-416): Use-after-free vulnerabilities involve accessing memory after it has been freed, often enabling arbitrary code execution.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.High
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
qemu1 product(s)
qemu
Source: NVD CPE · 3 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

PATCHhttps://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2016-08/msg01602.html
PATCHhttps://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2016-08/msg01602.html
ADVISORYhttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/08/12/1
ADVISORYhttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/08/18/3
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/93255
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/09/msg00007.html
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201609-01
ADVISORYhttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/08/12/1
ADVISORYhttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/08/18/3
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/93255
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/09/msg00007.html
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201609-01

All References (14)

→
http://git.qemu.org/?p=qemu.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=6c352ca9b4ee3e1e286ea9e8434bd8e69ac7d0d8
→
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/08/12/1Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/08/18/3Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/93255Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/09/msg00007.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2016-08/msg01602.htmlMailing List · Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201609-01Third Party Advisory
→
http://git.qemu.org/?p=qemu.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=6c352ca9b4ee3e1e286ea9e8434bd8e69ac7d0d8
→
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/08/12/1Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/08/18/3Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/93255Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/09/msg00007.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2016-08/msg01602.htmlMailing List · Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201609-01Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2016-6833
CVSS Score4.4 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-416
CISA KEVNo
Affected2 vendor(s)
PublishedDec 10, 2016

Related CVEs (CWE-416)

CVE-2010-3116
10.0
CVE-2012-4212
10.0
CVE-2010-2300
10.0
CVE-2024-43102
10.0
CVE-2010-2302
10.0
CVE-2012-4218
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2016-6833 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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