Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2016-4480

The guest_walk_tables function in arch/x86/mm/guest_walk.c in Xen 4.6.x and earlier does not properly handle the Page Size (PS) page table entry bit at the L4 and L3 page table levels, which might allow local guest OS users to gain privileges via a crafted mapping of memory.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.4, requiring local system access to exploit with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 2 products from oracle, from xen 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

2016-05-18T14:59:05.413

Last Modified

2025-04-12T10:46:40.837

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.0: 8.4 (HIGH)

CVSSv2 Vector

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

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

Exploitability Score

3.9

Impact Score

10.0

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
CWE-264

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Operating System	oracle	vm_server	3.2	Yes
Operating System	oracle	vm_server	3.3	Yes
Operating System	oracle	vm_server	3.4	Yes
Operating System	xen	xen	≤ 4.6.1	Yes

References

http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3633 ([email protected])
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/ovmbulletinjul2016-3090546.html Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/90710 ([email protected])
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1035901 ([email protected])
http://xenbits.xen.org/xsa/advisory-176.html Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3633 (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/ovmbulletinjul2016-3090546.html Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/90710 (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1035901 (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://xenbits.xen.org/xsa/advisory-176.html Vendor 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 oracle'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.