CVE-2021-28699

Host crash via grant-status frame array overflow

Published Aug 27, 2021 · Updated Aug 3, 2024

Out-of-bounds write in Xen Hypervisor 4.10 and later allows guest OS users to crash the host through a grant-table-v2 request. In the 32-to-64-bit translation for GNTTABOP_get_status_frames, the core routine accepts a capacity scaled eightfold and writes excess frame numbers beyond the translation buffer. Exploitation requires a 32-bit x86 guest kernel allowed to use grant table version 2 and at least 8,177 grant-table frames; privilege escalation and disclosure remain unconfirmed.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.35%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Out-of-bounds write in Xen Hypervisor 4.10 and later allows guest OS users to crash the host through a grant-table-v2 request. In the 32-to-64-bit translation for GNTTABOP_get_status_frames, the core routine accepts a capacity scaled eightfold and writes excess frame numbers beyond the translation buffer. Exploitation requires a 32-bit x86 guest kernel allowed to use grant table version 2 and at least 8,177 grant-table frames; privilege escalation and disclosure remain unconfirmed.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-28699
Published
Aug 27, 2021
Updated
Aug 3, 2024
Vendor
Xen Project
Product
Xen Hypervisor
Classifications
T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 27, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 3, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

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  1. Affected versionversion=4.11.x <unspecified

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Xen Project · Xen Hypervisorversion=4.11.x <unspecified

Published CVSS scores

4.9National Vulnerability DatabaseAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C
5.5National Vulnerability DatabaseCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
7.0SUSECVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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