CVE-2016-1981

Name: CVE-2016-1981
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2016-12-29T22:59:00.417+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 5.5/10EPSS 0.44%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2016-1981 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.5/10 on the CVSS scale. QEMU (aka Quick Emulator) built with the e1000 NIC emulation support is vulnerable to an infinite loop issue. It could occur while processing data via transmit or receive descriptors, provided the initial receive/transmit descriptor head (TDH/RDH) is set outside the allocated descriptor buffer. EPSS estimates a 0.44% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

QEMU (aka Quick Emulator) built with the e1000 NIC emulation support is vulnerable to an infinite loop issue. It could occur while processing data via transmit or receive descriptors, provided the initial receive/transmit descriptor head (TDH/RDH) is set outside the allocated descriptor buffer. A privileged user inside guest could use this flaw to crash the QEMU instance resulting in DoS.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability

0.44%

35.4th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-835

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Qemu	Qemu	<= 2.5.1.1
Debian	Debian Linux	7.0
Debian	Debian Linux	8.0

References

http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2585.htmlThird Party Advisory
http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3469Third Party Advisory
http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3470Third Party Advisory
http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3471Third Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/01/19/10Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/01/22/1Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/81549Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1298570Issue Tracking
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2016-01/msg03454.htmlPatch, Vendor Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201604-01Third Party Advisory
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-2585.htmlThird Party Advisory
http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3469Third Party Advisory
http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3470Third Party Advisory
http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3471Third Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/01/19/10Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/01/22/1Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/81549Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1298570Issue Tracking
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/qemu-devel/2016-01/msg03454.htmlPatch, Vendor Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201604-01Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Dec 29, 2016
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-1981?

How severe is CVE-2016-1981?

CVE-2016-1981 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.44% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2016-1981?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2016-1981?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST