CVE-2021-32846

CVE-2021-32846 is a high-severity vulnerability in Mobyproject Hyperkit with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.7. 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-754.

Key facts

Description

HyperKit is a toolkit for embedding hypervisor capabilities in an application. In versions 0.20210107, function `pci_vtsock_proc_tx` in `virtio-sock` can lead to to uninitialized memory use. In this situation, there is a check for the return value to be less or equal to `VTSOCK_MAXSEGS`, but that check is not sufficient because the function can return `-1` if it finds an error it cannot recover from. Moreover, the negative return value will be used by `iovec_pull` in a while condition that can further lead to more corruption because the function is not designed to handle a negative `iov_len`. This issue may lead to a guest crashing the host causing a denial of service and, under certain circumstance, memory corruption. This issue is fixed in commit af5eba2360a7351c08dfd9767d9be863a50ebaba.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-32846?
HyperKit is a toolkit for embedding hypervisor capabilities in an application. In versions 0.20210107, function `pci_vtsock_proc_tx` in `virtio-sock` can lead to to uninitialized memory use. In this situation, there is a check for the return value to be less or equal to `VTSOCK_MAXSEGS`, but that check is not sufficient because the function can return `-1` if it finds an error it cannot recover from. Moreover, the negative return value will be used by `iovec_pull` in a while condition that can further lead to more corruption because the function is not designed to handle a negative `iov_len`. This issue may lead to a guest crashing the host causing a denial of service and, under certain circumstance, memory corruption. This issue is fixed in commit af5eba2360a7351c08dfd9767d9be863a50ebaba.
How severe is CVE-2021-32846?
CVE-2021-32846 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.7, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-32846 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (24th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-32846?
CVE-2021-32846 affects Mobyproject Hyperkit. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-32846?
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-2021-32846 published?
CVE-2021-32846 was published on 2023-02-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

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