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CVE.org (no NVD analysis yet)· CNA XEN

CVE-2026-79609: x86: XPTI may break on huge-memory systems

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 35/100)

  • 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: 0.10% (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:v3.21) 4.19.6-r2; xen (Alpine:v3.22) 4.20.4-r2; xen (Alpine:v3.24) 4.21.2-r2.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to xen (Alpine:v3.21) 4.19.6-r2; xen (Alpine:v3.22) 4.20.4-r2; xen (Alpine:v3.24) 4.21.2-r2 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

XPTI (Xen Page Table Isolation) was introduced to mitigate Meltdown (CVE-2017-5754, one aspect of XSA-254). This involves copying 64-bit PV guest page table entries from guest-chosen root page tables to the Xen- chosen one which is in actual use by hardware. To read the guest root page table, the directmap is used. PV guests, however, have a directmap which may not cover all memory; in particular this is the case if any memory extends beyond the 5 TiB (CONFIG_BIGMEM=y: 3.5 TiB) address boundary.

HighCVSS 8.8 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Oct 13, 2026
Updated
Oct 20, 2026
EPSS
0.1% · 1th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

35

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
35 / 40 · 8.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.1%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

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.

Follow CVE-2026-79609

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • 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.

—

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-516unknown

Package-level exposure

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

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Alpine:v3.21xenbefore 4.19.6-r24.19.6-r2
Alpine:v3.22xenbefore 4.20.4-r24.20.4-r2
Alpine:v3.24xenbefore 4.21.2-r24.21.2-r2
Debian:12xenfrom 0—
Debian:13xenbefore 4.20.4+39-gf1e1321c87-0+deb13u14.20.4+39-gf1e1321c87-0+deb13u1
Debian:14xenbefore 4.20.4+39-gf1e1321c87-14.20.4+39-gf1e1321c87-1
openSUSE:Tumbleweedxenbefore 4.22.0_06-1.14.22.0_06-1.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3xenbefore 4.16.7_16-150400.4.95.14.16.7_16-150400.4.95.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5xenbefore 4.17.7_02-150500.3.82.14.17.7_02-150500.3.82.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSSxenbefore 4.12.4_76-3.154.14.12.4_76-3.154.1

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, whi
    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 GNTMAP_host
    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-2026-79607Oct 13, 2026 · Xenstore: Guests can crash xenstored during Live Update
    22Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-79608Oct 13, 2026 · x86/AMD: ineffectual Zenbleed workaround
    39Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2026-79610Oct 13, 2026 · grant-table: double version change race
    35Monitor

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:xen4.19.6-r2 · Alpine:v3.21Package registry (OSV)
debian:xen4.20.4+39-gf1e1321c87-0+deb13u1 · Debian:13Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:xen4.22.0_06-1.1 · openSUSE:TumbleweedPackage registry (OSV)
suse:xen4.17.7_02-150500.3.82.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5Package 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.

  1. Published
  2. Fix recorded+1 d
  3. TodayOct 27, 2026+14 d
EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

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

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

  • CVE-2026-6242777 days apartsysctl and platform-op locks open to abuse
    35Monitor

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

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
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
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
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-284 · Improper Access Control

CVSS vector

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

nvd-secondary

Attack context

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

Change log

  1. CVSS— → 8.8
  2. Severity— → high
  3. SSVC exploitation— → none
  4. Fix✗ → ✓
  5. Exploit maturity— → none

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (1 more)

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

All records