Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2018-7550

The load_multiboot function in hw/i386/multiboot.c in Quick Emulator (aka QEMU) allows local guest OS users to execute arbitrary code on the QEMU host via a mh_load_end_addr value greater than mh_bss_end_addr, which triggers an out-of-bounds read or write memory access.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.8, requiring local system access to exploit with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 9 products from qemu, from debian, from canonical and 6 others, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2018, 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

2018-03-01T17:29:00.523

Last Modified

2026-06-17T02:03:21.317

Status

Modified

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 8.8 (HIGH)

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-125
CWE-787

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Application	qemu	qemu	≤ 2.11.1	Yes
Operating System	debian	debian_linux	7.0	Yes
Operating System	debian	debian_linux	8.0	Yes
Operating System	debian	debian_linux	9.0	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	14.04	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	16.04	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	17.10	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	18.04	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_desktop	7.0	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server	7.0	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server_aus	7.6	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server_aus	7.7	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server_eus	7.5	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server_eus	7.6	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server_eus	7.7	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server_tus	7.6	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server_tus	7.7	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_workstation	7.0	Yes

References

http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/103181 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1369 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2462 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1549798 Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
https://github.com/orangecertcc/security-research/security/advisories/GHSA-f49v-45qp-cv53 ([email protected])
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/04/msg00015.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/04/msg00016.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/09/msg00007.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2018-02/msg06890.html Mailing List, Patch ([email protected])
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3649-1/ Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4213 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/103181 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1369 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2462 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1549798 Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://github.com/orangecertcc/security-research/security/advisories/GHSA-f49v-45qp-cv53 (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/04/msg00015.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/04/msg00016.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/09/msg00007.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2018-02/msg06890.html Mailing List, Patch (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3649-1/ Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4213 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 qemu'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.