#VU88374 Processor optimization removal or modification of security-critical code in Xen - CVE-2024-2201

Vulnerability identifier: #VU88374

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: 7.6 [CVSS:4.0/AV:A/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:U/U:Green]

CVE-ID: CVE-2024-2201

CWE-ID: CWE-1037

Exploitation vector: Local network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Xen
Server applications / Virtualization software

Vendor: Xen Project

Description

The vulnerability allows a malicious guest to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to native branch history injection on x86 systems. A malicious guest can infer the contents of arbitrary host memory, including memory assigned to other guests and compromise the affected system.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Xen: 4.0.0 - 4.18.1

---

External links
https://lore.kernel.org/all/E1ruEzu-0003pl-M1@xenbits.xenproject.org/T/
https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2024-2201
https://xenbits.xen.org/xsa/advisory-456.html

---

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

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

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

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