CVE-2016-9603
CWE-122Published: July 27, 2018· Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Official Description
A heap buffer overflow flaw was found in QEMU's Cirrus CLGD 54xx VGA emulator's VNC display driver support before 2.9; the issue could occur when a VNC client attempted to update its display after a VGA operation is performed by a guest. A privileged user/process inside a guest could use this flaw to crash the QEMU process or, potentially, execute arbitrary code on the host with privileges of the QEMU process.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2016-9603 requires adjacent network access, limiting remote exploitation but still posing risk in shared or local network environments.
Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
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
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
Official Patches & Advisories
All References (36)
Quick Facts
Related CVEs (CWE-122)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2016-9603 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts