Description
XENMEM_populate_physmap in Xen 4.0, 4.1, and 4.2, and Citrix XenServer 6.0.2 and earlier, when translating paging mode is not used, allows local PV OS guest kernels to cause a denial of service (BUG triggered and host crash) via invalid flags such as MEMF_populate_on_demand.
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.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | xen | 4.1.3-2 | — |
| Debian 13 | xen | 4.1.3-2 | — |
| Debian 12 | xen | 4.1.3-2 | — |
| Debian 6.0 | xen | 4.0.1-5.4 | DSA-2544-1 |
Advisories 1
- DSA-2544-1 xen - denial of service Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- 55082 third-party-advisory
- 50530 third-party-advisory
- 51413 third-party-advisory
- GLSA-201309-24 vendor-advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=854590
- 1027481 vdb-entry
- openSUSE-SU-2012:1572 vendor-advisory
- 50472 third-party-advisory
- xen-xenmempopulatephysmap-dos(78267) vdb-entry
- [oss-security] 20120905 Xen Security Advisory 14 (CVE-2012-3496) - XENMEM_populate_physmap DoS vulnerability mailing-list
- [Xen-announce] 20120905 Xen Security Advisory 14 (CVE-2012-3496) - XENMEM_populate_physmap DoS vulnerability mailing-list
- 55412 vdb-entry
- 85200 vdb-entry
- SUSE-SU-2012:1162 vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2012:1174 vendor-advisory
- GLSA-201604-03 vendor-advisory
- SUSE-SU-2012:1132 vendor-advisory
- http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX134708
- SUSE-SU-2012:1133 vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2012:1573 vendor-advisory
- http://wiki.xen.org/wiki/Security_Announcements#XSA-14_XENMEM_populate_physmap_DoS_vulnerability
- openSUSE-SU-2012:1172 vendor-advisory
- DSA-2544 vendor-advisory