Description
Xen 3.4 through 4.2, and possibly earlier versions, does not properly synchronize the p2m and m2p tables when the set_p2m_entry function fails, which allows local HVM guest OS administrators to cause a denial of service (memory consumption and assertion failure), aka "Memory mapping failure DoS vulnerability."
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 | 4.1.3-4 | — |
| Debian 13 | xen | 4.1.3-4 | — |
| Debian 12 | xen | 4.1.3-4 | — |
| Debian 6.0 | xen | 4.0.1-5.5 | DSA-2582-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 5 | kernel +12 | 2.6.18-308.24.1.el5 | RHSA-2012:1540 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | xen | 4.7.0_12-1.3 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10196-1 |
Advisories 3
- RHSA-2012:1540 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 28, 2026
- DSA-2582-1 xen - denial of service Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10196-1 xen-4.7.0_12-1.3 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · May 7, 2025
References
- RHSA-2012:1540 vendor-advisory
- SUSE-SU-2014:0470 vendor-advisory
- 55082 third-party-advisory
- xen-setp2mentry-dos(80024) vdb-entry
- [oss-security] 20121113 Xen Security Advisory 22 (CVE-2012-4537) - Memory mapping failure DoS vulnerability mailing-list
- 51413 third-party-advisory
- 51200 third-party-advisory
- GLSA-201309-24 vendor-advisory
- DSA-2582 vendor-advisory
- SUSE-SU-2012:1486 vendor-advisory
- [Xen-announce] 20121113 Xen Security Advisory 22 (CVE-2012-4537) - Memory mapping failure DoS vulnerability mailing-list
- openSUSE-SU-2012:1572 vendor-advisory
- 51468 third-party-advisory
- SUSE-SU-2012:1487 vendor-advisory
- SUSE-SU-2014:0446 vendor-advisory
- 51352 third-party-advisory
- 51324 third-party-advisory
- GLSA-201604-03 vendor-advisory
- 56498 vdb-entry
- SUSE-SU-2012:1615 vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2012:1573 vendor-advisory
- 87307 vdb-entry
- 1027761 vdb-entry