CVE-2017-5552 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

QEMU (Quick Emulator) is affected by a memory leak vulnerability in the virgl_resource_attach_backing function, allowing local users to launch denial of service attacks. Learn more about the impact, technical details, and mitigation steps.

Understanding CVE-2017-5552

What is CVE-2017-5552?

The vulnerability in QEMU's virtio-gpu-3d component enables local guest OS users to exhaust the host's memory by sending a large number of specific commands.

The Impact of CVE-2017-5552

This vulnerability allows local users to trigger a denial of service attack on the host system by consuming excessive memory resources through a specific command.

Technical Details of CVE-2017-5552

Vulnerability Description

The memory leak in the virgl_resource_attach_backing function in QEMU's virtio-gpu-3d component permits local guest OS users to cause a denial of service attack on the host by overloading it with VIRTIO_GPU_CMD_RESOURCE_ATTACH_BACKING commands.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: N/A
Vendor: N/A
Versions: N/A

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited by local users of the guest operating system sending a substantial amount of VIRTIO_GPU_CMD_RESOURCE_ATTACH_BACKING commands, leading to a denial of service attack on the host.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply patches provided by the vendor promptly.
Monitor memory consumption on the host system for unusual spikes.
Restrict access to vulnerable systems to trusted users only.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch all software components to prevent known vulnerabilities.
Implement proper access controls and user permissions to limit the impact of potential attacks.
Conduct regular security audits and assessments to identify and address any security gaps.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that QEMU is updated to the latest version to mitigate the memory leak vulnerability in the virtio-gpu-3d component.