How severe is CVE-2017-8905?

CVE-2017-8905 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2017-8905 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-2017-8905?

CVE-2017-8905 primarily affects Xen. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2017-8905?

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-2017-8905 published?

CVE-2017-8905 was published on 2017-05-11 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2017-8905

CVE-2017-8905 is a high-severity vulnerability in Xen with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8. 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-682.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.8)
CVSS v2: 6.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (34th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-682
Affected product: Xen
Published: 2017-05-11
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Xen through 4.6.x on 64-bit platforms mishandles a failsafe callback, which might allow PV guest OS users to execute arbitrary code on the host OS, aka XSA-215.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-8905?: Xen through 4.6.x on 64-bit platforms mishandles a failsafe callback, which might allow PV guest OS users to execute arbitrary code on the host OS, aka XSA-215.
How severe is CVE-2017-8905?: CVE-2017-8905 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2017-8905 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-2017-8905?: CVE-2017-8905 primarily affects Xen. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-8905?: 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-2017-8905 published?: CVE-2017-8905 was published on 2017-05-11 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (6)

cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.6.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.6.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.6.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.6.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:xen:xen:4.6.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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…

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