CVE-2017-10914 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies
Learn about CVE-2017-10914, a Xen vulnerability allowing denial of service attacks and unauthorized access. Find mitigation steps and patching details here.
Xen's grant-table feature in versions up to 4.8.x has a race condition issue leading to a double free vulnerability, potentially enabling denial of service attacks and unauthorized access to sensitive information.
Understanding CVE-2017-10914
Xen's grant-table feature in versions up to 4.8.x contains a race condition issue that results in a double free vulnerability, identified as XSA-218 bug 2.
What is CVE-2017-10914?
The vulnerability in Xen's grant-table feature allows users of the guest operating system to exploit a denial of service attack by consuming excessive memory. In some cases, this exploit could potentially lead to unauthorized access or disclosure of sensitive information and the elevation of privileges.
The Impact of CVE-2017-10914
- Allows denial of service attacks by consuming excessive memory
- Potential unauthorized access to sensitive information
- Possible elevation of privileges
Technical Details of CVE-2017-10914
Xen through 4.8.x has a race condition leading to a double free, allowing guest OS users to cause denial of service or potentially gain privileges.
Vulnerability Description
The grant-table feature in Xen through 4.8.x has a race condition leading to a double free, which allows guest OS users to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) or possibly obtain sensitive information or gain privileges, aka XSA-218 bug 2.
Affected Systems and Versions
- Product: n/a
- Vendor: n/a
- Versions affected: Up to 4.8.x
Exploitation Mechanism
The vulnerability can be exploited by users of the guest operating system to trigger a denial of service attack by consuming excessive memory, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive information and privilege escalation.
Mitigation and Prevention
Immediate Steps to Take:
- Apply patches provided by Xen to address the vulnerability
- Monitor Xen's security advisories for updates and apply them promptly
Long-Term Security Practices
- Regularly update Xen to the latest version to ensure all security patches are applied
- Implement strong access controls and monitoring mechanisms to detect and prevent unauthorized access
Patching and Updates
- Xen has released patches to address the vulnerability, ensure they are applied to all affected systems