CVE-2017-12855

CVE-2017-12855 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Xen with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5. 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-200.

Key facts

Description

Xen maintains the _GTF_{read,writ}ing bits as appropriate, to inform the guest that a grant is in use. A guest is expected not to modify the grant details while it is in use, whereas the guest is free to modify/reuse the grant entry when it is not in use. Under some circumstances, Xen will clear the status bits too early, incorrectly informing the guest that the grant is no longer in use. A guest may prematurely believe that a granted frame is safely private again, and reuse it in a way which contains sensitive information, while the domain on the far end of the grant is still using the grant. Xen 4.9, 4.8, 4.7, 4.6, and 4.5 are affected.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-12855?
Xen maintains the _GTF_{read,writ}ing bits as appropriate, to inform the guest that a grant is in use. A guest is expected not to modify the grant details while it is in use, whereas the guest is free to modify/reuse the grant entry when it is not in use. Under some circumstances, Xen will clear the status bits too early, incorrectly informing the guest that the grant is no longer in use. A guest may prematurely believe that a granted frame is safely private again, and reuse it in a way which contains sensitive information, while the domain on the far end of the grant is still using the grant. Xen 4.9, 4.8, 4.7, 4.6, and 4.5 are affected.
How severe is CVE-2017-12855?
CVE-2017-12855 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2017-12855 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (32nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2017-12855?
CVE-2017-12855 primarily affects Xen. In total, 18 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-12855?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2017-12855 published?
CVE-2017-12855 was published on 2017-08-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (18)

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