CVE-2017-8904
Xen through 4.8.x mishandles the "contains segment descriptors" property during GNTTABOP_transfer (aka guest transfer) operations, which might allow PV guest OS users to execute arbitrary code on the host OS, aka XSA-214.
Does this matter?
High impact if exploited, but EPSS currently rates exploitation as unlikely (0.42%). Schedule it in the normal patch cycle and watch for a rise in EPSS or a public exploit.
Description
Xen through 4.8.x mishandles the "contains segment descriptors" property during GNTTABOP_transfer (aka guest transfer) operations, which might allow PV guest OS users to execute arbitrary code on the host OS, aka XSA-214.
- CVSS 3.0
- 8.8 HIGHCVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
- EPSS
- 0.42% probability · 36th percentile
- Public exploits
- None in Exploit-DB
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Affected
- xen/xen
- Source
- cve@mitre.org
EPSS 0.4% since 27 October 2026; no change recorded yet. Points are recorded when the score first appears and whenever it moves by a percentage point or more.
References
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/98428
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1038387
- https://blog.xenproject.org/2017/05/02/updates-on-xsa-213-xsa-214-and-xsa-215/Vendor Advisory
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201705-11
- https://xenbits.xen.org/xsa/advisory-214.htmlMitigation, Patch, Vendor Advisory
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/98428
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1038387
- https://blog.xenproject.org/2017/05/02/updates-on-xsa-213-xsa-214-and-xsa-215/Vendor Advisory
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201705-11
- https://xenbits.xen.org/xsa/advisory-214.htmlMitigation, Patch, Vendor Advisory
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.