CVE-2016-5242

CVE-2016-5242 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Xen with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.6. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.

Key facts

Description

The p2m_teardown function in arch/arm/p2m.c in Xen 4.4.x through 4.6.x allows local guest OS users with access to the driver domain to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and host OS crash) by creating concurrent domains and holding references to them, related to VMID exhaustion.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-5242?
The p2m_teardown function in arch/arm/p2m.c in Xen 4.4.x through 4.6.x allows local guest OS users with access to the driver domain to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and host OS crash) by creating concurrent domains and holding references to them, related to VMID exhaustion.
How severe is CVE-2016-5242?
CVE-2016-5242 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.6, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2016-5242 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (26th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-5242?
CVE-2016-5242 primarily affects Xen. In total, 12 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-5242?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2016-5242 published?
CVE-2016-5242 was published on 2016-06-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (12)

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