Guest-to-host code execution via virtio DMA reentrancy
Published Apr 9, 2024 · Updated May 2, 2025
Double free in QEMU virtio devices in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9 allows privileged guest OS users to crash or control host QEMU. The virtio-gpu, virtio-serial-bus, and virtio-crypto paths bind bottom halves to a device guard while DMA dispatch checks the bus guard, permitting reentrant processing and duplicate memory release. Exploitation requires control of a privileged guest and results in a host QEMU process crash or code execution within that process, with libvirt isolation limiting further host impact.
Summary
What happened
Double free in QEMU virtio devices in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9 allows privileged guest OS users to crash or control host QEMU. The virtio-gpu, virtio-serial-bus, and virtio-crypto paths bind bottom halves to a device guard while DMA dispatch checks the bus guard, permitting reentrant processing and duplicate memory release. Exploitation requires control of a privileged guest and results in a host QEMU process crash or code execution within that process, with libvirt isolation limiting further host impact.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-3446
- Published
- Apr 9, 2024
- Updated
- May 2, 2025
- Vendor
- Red Hat
- Product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Classifications
- CWE-415, T1611
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Apr 9, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 2, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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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
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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