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NVD / CVE Program· CNA XEN

CVE-2022-42321: Xenstore: Guests can crash xenstored via exhausting the stack Xenstored is using recursion for some Xenstore operations (e.g.

MediumCVSS 6.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 26/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.29% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: xen (Alpine:v3.14) 4.15.4-r0; xen (Alpine:v3.16) 4.16.3-r0; xen (Alpine:v3.18) 4.17.0-r0.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to xen (Alpine:v3.14) 4.15.4-r0; xen (Alpine:v3.16) 4.16.3-r0; xen (Alpine:v3.18) 4.17.0-r0 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

Xenstore: Guests can crash xenstored via exhausting the stack Xenstored is using recursion for some Xenstore operations (e.g. for deleting a sub-tree of Xenstore nodes). With sufficiently deep nesting levels this can result in stack exhaustion on xenstored, leading to a crash of xenstored.

Published
Nov 1, 2022
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
0.2% · 22th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

26

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
26 / 40 · 6.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.2%

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

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When you'll hear from us

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  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
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  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
xenxen
debiandebian linux
fedoraprojectfedora

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (XEN). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Xen xen

    • consult Xen advisory XSA-418unknown
Affected versions · NVD (5)

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • debian debian linux11.0
  • fedoraproject fedora35
  • fedoraproject fedora36
  • fedoraproject fedora37
  • xen xenall versions

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Alpine:v3.14xenbefore 4.15.4-r04.15.4-r0
Alpine:v3.16xenbefore 4.16.3-r04.16.3-r0
Alpine:v3.18xenbefore 4.17.0-r04.17.0-r0
Debian:11xenbefore 4.14.5+86-g1c354767d5-14.14.5+86-g1c354767d5-1
Debian:12xenbefore 4.16.2+90-g0d39a6d1ae-14.16.2+90-g0d39a6d1ae-1
openSUSE:Leap 15.4xenbefore 4.16.2_08-150400.4.16.14.16.2_08-150400.4.16.1
openSUSE:Leap Micro 5.2xenbefore 4.14.5_08-150300.3.40.14.14.5_08-150300.3.40.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-ESPOSxenbefore 4.12.4_30-150100.3.80.14.12.4_30-150100.3.80.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-ESPOSxenbefore 4.13.4_16-150200.3.65.14.13.4_16-150200.3.65.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15-ESPOSxenbefore 4.10.4_40-150000.3.84.14.10.4_40-150000.3.84.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3xenbefore 4.16.2_08-150400.4.16.14.16.2_08-150400.4.16.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP3xenbefore 4.14.5_08-150300.3.40.14.14.5_08-150300.3.40.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2-BCLxenbefore 4.7.6_28-43.98.14.7.6_28-43.98.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP3-BCLxenbefore 4.9.4_34-3.114.14.9.4_34-3.114.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP5xenbefore 4.12.4_30-3.82.14.12.4_30-3.82.1
SUSE:OpenStack Cloud 9xenbefore 4.11.4_34-2.83.14.11.4_34-2.83.1

Same product

xen: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2017-10921The grant-table feature in Xen through 4.8.x does not ensure sufficient type counts for a GNTMAP_device_map and GNTMAP_host_map mapping…
    41Plan
  • CVE-2017-10920The grant-table feature in Xen through 4.8.x mishandles a GNTMAP_device_map and GNTMAP_host_map mapping, when followed by only a…
    41Plan
  • CVE-2017-10918Xen through 4.8.x does not validate memory allocations during certain P2M operations, which allows guest OS users to obtain privileged host…
    41Plan

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2022-42319Nov 1, 2022 · Xenstore: Guests can cause Xenstore to not free temporary memory When working on a request of a guest, xenstored might need to allocate…
    26Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2022-42320Nov 1, 2022 · Xenstore: Guests can get access to Xenstore nodes of deleted domains Access rights of Xenstore nodes are per domid.
    28Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2022-42322Nov 1, 2022 · Xenstore: Cooperating guests can create arbitrary numbers of nodes T[his CNA information record relates to multiple CVEs; the text explains…
    22Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
alpine:xen4.15.4-r0 · Alpine:v3.14Package registry (OSV)
debian:xen4.16.2+90-g0d39a6d1ae-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:xen4.14.5_08-150300.3.40.1 · openSUSE:Leap Micro 5.2Package registry (OSV)
suse:xen4.10.4_40-150000.3.84.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15-ESPOSPackage registry (OSV)
suse:xen4.14.5_08-150300.3.40.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP3Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

Not on record for this CVE: EPSS history · patch commit or PR link · variant or chain candidate · public bounty program.

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
none
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted

Impact can extend beyond the vulnerable component (scope changes).

Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-674 · Uncontrolled Recursion

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

ATT&CK techniques

—

References

Show all references (7 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

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