CVE-2012-3496

CVE-2012-3496 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Citrix Xenserver with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.7. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-16.

Key facts

• Severity: Medium (CVSS 2.0 base score 4.7)
• EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (34th percentile)
• Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
• Weakness: CWE-16
• Affected product: Citrix Xenserver
• Published: 2012-11-23
• Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

XENMEM_populate_physmap in Xen 4.0, 4.1, and 4.2, and Citrix XenServer 6.0.2 and earlier, when translating paging mode is not used, allows local PV OS guest kernels to cause a denial of service (BUG triggered and host crash) via invalid flags such as MEMF_populate_on_demand.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2012-3496?

XENMEM_populate_physmap in Xen 4.0, 4.1, and 4.2, and Citrix XenServer 6.0.2 and earlier, when translating paging mode is not used, allows local PV OS guest kernels to cause a denial of service (BUG triggered and host crash) via invalid flags such as MEMF_populate_on_demand.

How severe is CVE-2012-3496?

CVE-2012-3496 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.7, rated medium severity.

Is CVE-2012-3496 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (34th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2012-3496?

CVE-2012-3496 primarily affects Citrix Xenserver. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2012-3496?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2012-3496 published?

CVE-2012-3496 was published on 2012-11-23 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-09/msg00003.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-09/msg00004.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-09/msg00012.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-09/msg00017.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-09/msg00018.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-11/msg00017.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-11/msg00018.html
• http://lists.xen.org/archives/html/xen-announce/2012-09/msg00002.html
• http://secunia.com/advisories/50472
• http://secunia.com/advisories/50530
• http://secunia.com/advisories/51413
• http://secunia.com/advisories/55082
• http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-201309-24.xml
• http://securitytracker.com/id?1027481
• http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX134708
• http://wiki.xen.org/wiki/Security_Announcements#XSA-14_XENMEM_populate_physmap_DoS_vulnerability
• http://www.debian.org/security/2012/dsa-2544
• http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/09/05/7
• http://www.osvdb.org/85200
• http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/55412
• https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=854590
• https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/78267
• https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201604-03

Affected products (4)

• cpe:2.3:a:citrix:xenserver:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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