How severe is CVE-2015-8550?

CVE-2015-8550 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.2, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2015-8550 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (61st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2015-8550?

CVE-2015-8550 primarily affects Xen. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2015-8550?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2015-8550 published?

CVE-2015-8550 was published on 2016-04-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2015-8550

CVE-2015-8550 is a high-severity vulnerability in Xen with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.2. 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-284.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.2)
CVSS v2: 5.7
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (61st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-284
Affected product: Xen
Published: 2016-04-14
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Xen, when used on a system providing PV backends, allows local guest OS administrators to cause a denial of service (host OS crash) or gain privileges by writing to memory shared between the frontend and backend, aka a double fetch vulnerability.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2015-8550?: Xen, when used on a system providing PV backends, allows local guest OS administrators to cause a denial of service (host OS crash) or gain privileges by writing to memory shared between the frontend and backend, aka a double fetch vulnerability.
How severe is CVE-2015-8550?: CVE-2015-8550 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.2, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2015-8550 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (61st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2015-8550?: CVE-2015-8550 primarily affects Xen. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2015-8550?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2015-8550 published?: CVE-2015-8550 was published on 2016-04-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:novell:suse_linux_enterprise_real_time_extension:12:sp1:*:*:*:*:*:*

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