Description
The virtio_net_bad_features function in hw/virtio-net.c in the virtio-net driver in the Linux kernel before 2.6.26, when used on a guest OS in conjunction with qemu-kvm 0.11.0 or KVM 83, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (guest OS crash, and an associated qemu-kvm process exit) by sending a large amount of network traffic to a TCP port on the guest OS, related to a virtio-net whitelist that includes an improper implementation of TCP Segment Offloading (TSO).
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 5 | rhev-hypervisor +1 | 5.5-2.2.4.2.el5rhev | RHSA-2010:0476 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Rhel Virtualization 5 | kvm +3 | 83-164.el5 | RHSA-2010:0271 |
Advisories 2
- RHSA-2010:0476 Red Hat Security Advisory: rhev-hypervisor security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 29, 2026
- RHSA-2010:0271 Red Hat Security Advisory: kvm security, bug fix and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 29, 2026
References
- 1023798 vdb-entry
- RHSA-2010:0476 vendor-advisory
- https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/qemu-kvm/+bug/458521
- ADV-2010-0760 vdb-entry
- [qemu-devel] 20091029 Re: qemu-kvm-0.11 regression, crashes on older guests with virtio network mailing-list
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:11143 vdb-entry signature
- https://patchwork.kernel.org/patch/56479/
- [qemu-devel] 20091029 [PATCH] whitelist host virtio networking features [was Re: qemu-kvm-0.11 regression, crashes on older ...] mailing-list
- RHSA-2010:0271 vendor-advisory
- http://git.kernel.org/?p=virt/kvm/qemu-kvm.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=184bd0484533b725194fa517ddc271ffd74da7c9
- [oss-security] 20100329 CVE-2010-0741 qemu: Improper handling of erroneous data provided by Linux virtio-net driver mailing-list
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=577218