Authenticated process crash via uninitialized clipboard callback
Published Jan 12, 2024 · Updated Feb 25, 2026
Denial of service in the QEMU VNC server in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9 allows remote authenticated users to crash QEMU. A ClientCutText request can reach qemu_clipboard_request() before capability negotiation initializes info->owner->request, causing a call through a NULL callback. Successful VNC authentication and access to a virtual machine's VNC endpoint are required; exploitation terminates the affected QEMU process and interrupts that guest.
Summary
What happened
Denial of service in the QEMU VNC server in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9 allows remote authenticated users to crash QEMU. A ClientCutText request can reach qemu_clipboard_request() before capability negotiation initializes info->owner->request, causing a call through a NULL callback. Successful VNC authentication and access to a virtual machine's VNC endpoint are required; exploitation terminates the affected QEMU process and interrupts that guest.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-6683
- Published
- Jan 12, 2024
- Updated
- Feb 25, 2026
- Vendor
- Red Hat
- Product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Classifications
- CWE-476, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 12, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Feb 25, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Affected versions are unavailable in this record. Check the vendor advisory for version and patch details.
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo