CVE-2020-35505 : What You Need to Know

A NULL pointer dereference flaw in the am53c974 SCSI host bus adapter emulation of QEMU before version 6.0.0 allows a privileged guest user to crash the QEMU process, leading to a denial of service.

Understanding CVE-2020-35505

A vulnerability in QEMU that could result in a denial of service attack.

What is CVE-2020-35505?

This CVE describes a NULL pointer dereference flaw in the am53c974 SCSI host bus adapter emulation of QEMU versions prior to 6.0.0. The vulnerability arises during the handling of the 'Information Transfer' command, enabling a privileged guest user to crash the QEMU process on the host, causing a denial of service.

The Impact of CVE-2020-35505

The primary threat posed by this vulnerability is to system availability, as a successful exploit can lead to a denial of service condition.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-35505

Insights into the technical aspects of the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

Type: NULL pointer dereference flaw
Component: am53c974 SCSI host bus adapter emulation
Versions Affected: QEMU versions before 6.0.0

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: QEMU
Vendor: n/a
Affected Version: qemu 6.0.0

Exploitation Mechanism

The flaw occurs during the handling of the 'Information Transfer' command, allowing a privileged guest user to exploit it and crash the QEMU process on the host.

Mitigation and Prevention

Measures to address and prevent the vulnerability.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply the necessary security updates provided by the vendor.
Monitor for any unusual system behavior that could indicate exploitation.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch software to mitigate known vulnerabilities.
Implement least privilege access controls to limit the impact of potential attacks.
Conduct security assessments and audits to identify and address vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Update QEMU to version 6.0.0 or later to eliminate the vulnerability.