How severe is CVE-2015-7972?

CVE-2015-7972 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 2.1, rated low severity.

Is CVE-2015-7972 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-2015-7972?

CVE-2015-7972 primarily affects Xen. In total, 30 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2015-7972?

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

When was CVE-2015-7972 published?

CVE-2015-7972 was published on 2015-10-30 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2015-7972

CVE-2015-7972 is a low-severity vulnerability in Xen with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 2.1. 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-399.

Key facts

Severity: Low (CVSS 2.0 base score 2.1)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (34th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-399
Affected product: Xen
Published: 2015-10-30
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The (1) libxl_set_memory_target function in tools/libxl/libxl.c and (2) libxl__build_post function in tools/libxl/libxl_dom.c in Xen 3.4.x through 4.6.x do not properly calculate the balloon size when using the populate-on-demand (PoD) system, which allows local HVM guest users to cause a denial of service (guest crash) via unspecified vectors related to "heavy memory pressure."

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2015-7972?: The (1) libxl_set_memory_target function in tools/libxl/libxl.c and (2) libxl__build_post function in tools/libxl/libxl_dom.c in Xen 3.4.x through 4.6.x do not properly calculate the balloon size when using the populate-on-demand (PoD) system, which allows local HVM guest users to cause a denial of service (guest crash) via unspecified vectors related to "heavy memory pressure."
How severe is CVE-2015-7972?: CVE-2015-7972 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 2.1, rated low severity.
Is CVE-2015-7972 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-2015-7972?: CVE-2015-7972 primarily affects Xen. In total, 30 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2015-7972?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2015-7972 published?: CVE-2015-7972 was published on 2015-10-30 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (30)

cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:3.4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:3.4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:3.4.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:3.4.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:3.4.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.0.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.0.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.1.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.1.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.1.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.1.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.1.6.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.2.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.2.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.3.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.3.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.3.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.3.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.4.1:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.5.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.5.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Xen

CVE-2017-10921 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The grant-table feature in Xen through 4.8.x does not ensure sufficient type counts for a GNTMAP_device_map and…
CVE-2017-10920 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The grant-table feature in Xen through 4.8.x mishandles a GNTMAP_device_map and GNTMAP_host_map mapping, when followed…
CVE-2017-10918 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Xen through 4.8.x does not validate memory allocations during certain P2M operations, which allows guest OS users to…
CVE-2017-10912 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Xen through 4.8.x mishandles page transfer, which allows guest OS users to obtain privileged host OS access, aka…
CVE-2015-8104 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The KVM subsystem in the Linux kernel through 4.2.6, and Xen 4.3.x through 4.6.x, allows guest OS users to cause a…
CVE-2018-12892 — Critical (CVSS 9.9): An issue was discovered in Xen 4.7 through 4.10.x. libxl fails to pass the readonly flag to qemu when setting up a SCSI…

All CVEs affecting Xen →

Other CWE-399 (Resource Management Errors) vulnerabilities

CVE-2015-8104 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The KVM subsystem in the Linux kernel through 4.2.6, and Xen 4.3.x through 4.6.x, allows guest OS users to cause a…
CVE-2015-0339 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.277 and 14.x through 17.x before 17.0.0.134 on Windows and OS X and before…
CVE-2015-0335 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.277 and 14.x through 17.x before 17.0.0.134 on Windows and OS X and before…
CVE-2015-0333 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.277 and 14.x through 17.x before 17.0.0.134 on Windows and OS X and before…
CVE-2014-4121 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 SP2, 3.5, 3.5.1, 4, 4.5, 4.5.1, and 4.5.2 does not properly parse internationalized…
CVE-2014-0560 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Use-after-free vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 10.x before 10.1.12 and 11.x before 11.0.09 on Windows and OS…

Browse all CWE-399 (Resource Management Errors) vulnerabilities →