CVE-2020-10701

Name: CVE-2020-10701
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2021-05-27T19:15:07.767+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 6.5/10EPSS 0.86%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2020-10701 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 6.5/10 on the CVSS scale. A missing authorization flaw was found in the libvirt API responsible for changing the QEMU agent response timeout. This flaw allows read-only connections to adjust the time that libvirt waits for the QEMU guest agent to respond to agent commands. EPSS estimates a 0.86% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

A missing authorization flaw was found in the libvirt API responsible for changing the QEMU agent response timeout. This flaw allows read-only connections to adjust the time that libvirt waits for the QEMU guest agent to respond to agent commands. Depending on the timeout value that is set, this flaw can make guest agent commands fail because the agent cannot respond in time. Unprivileged users with a read-only connection could abuse this flaw to set the response timeout for all guest agent messages to zero, potentially leading to a denial of service. This flaw affects libvirt versions before 6.2.0.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

6.5/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.86%

53.9th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-862

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Redhat	Libvirt	< 6.2.0

References

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1819163Issue Tracking, Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210708-0001/Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1819163Issue Tracking, Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210708-0001/Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: May 27, 2021
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-10701?

How severe is CVE-2020-10701?

CVE-2020-10701 has a CVSS score of 6.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.86% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2020-10701?

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-2020-10701?

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

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST