Arbitrary code execution in QEMU

1) Memory corruption

EUVDB-ID: #VU11163

Risk: Medium

CVSSv3.1: 8.3 [CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2018-7550

CWE-ID: CWE-119 - Memory corruption

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows an adjacent attacker to execute arbitrary code on the target system.

The weakness exists in the load_multiboot function due to out-of-bounds read or write. An adjacent attacker can load a kernel image during the boot process, which may cause the mh_load_end_addr address to be greater than the mh_bss_end_addr address, trigger memory corruption and execute arbitrary code.

Successful exploitation of the vulnerability may result in system compromise.

Mitigation

Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

QEMU: 2.0.0 - 2.11.1

External links

http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2018-02/msg06890.html

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the local network (LAN).

How the attacker can exploit this vulnerability?

The attacker would have to trick the victim to open a a specially crafted file.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.