Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2016-4439

The esp_reg_write function in hw/scsi/esp.c in the 53C9X Fast SCSI Controller (FSC) support in QEMU does not properly check command buffer length, which allows local guest OS administrators to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds write and QEMU process crash) or potentially execute arbitrary code on the QEMU host via unspecified vectors.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a MEDIUM severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 6.7, requiring local system access to exploit with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 3 products from canonical, from qemu, from debian organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2016, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.

Published

2016-05-20T14:59:07.450

Last Modified

2025-04-12T10:46:40.837

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 6.7 (MEDIUM)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Access Vector: LOCAL
Access Complexity: LOW
Authentication: NONE
Confidentiality Impact: PARTIAL
Integrity Impact: PARTIAL
Availability Impact: PARTIAL

Exploitability Score

3.9

Impact Score

6.4

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
CWE-119

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	12.04	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	14.04	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	16.04	Yes
Application	qemu	qemu	≤ 2.6.0	Yes
Operating System	debian	debian_linux	8.0	Yes

References

http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/05/19/3 Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/90760 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-3047-1 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-3047-2 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1337502 Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/11/msg00038.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2016-05/msg03273.html Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201609-01 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/05/19/3 Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/90760 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-3047-1 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-3047-2 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1337502 Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/11/msg00038.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2016-05/msg03273.html Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201609-01 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For canonical's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.