CVE-2020-29568

Name: CVE-2020-29568
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2020-12-15T17:15:14.66+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 6.5/10EPSS 0.35%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2020-29568 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 6.5/10 on the CVSS scale. An issue was discovered in Xen through 4.14.x. Some OSes (such as Linux, FreeBSD, and NetBSD) are processing watch events using a single thread. EPSS estimates a 0.35% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

An issue was discovered in Xen through 4.14.x. Some OSes (such as Linux, FreeBSD, and NetBSD) are processing watch events using a single thread. If the events are received faster than the thread is able to handle, they will get queued. As the queue is unbounded, a guest may be able to trigger an OOM in the backend. All systems with a FreeBSD, Linux, or NetBSD (any version) dom0 are vulnerable.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

6.5/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.35%

26.7th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-770

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Xen	Xen	<= 4.14.1
Debian	Debian Linux	9.0
Debian	Debian Linux	10.0

References

https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/02/msg00018.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/03/msg00010.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202107-30Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4843Third Party Advisory
https://xenbits.xenproject.org/xsa/advisory-349.htmlPatch, Vendor Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/02/msg00018.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/03/msg00010.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202107-30Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4843Third Party Advisory
https://xenbits.xenproject.org/xsa/advisory-349.htmlPatch, Vendor Advisory

Timeline

Published: Dec 15, 2020
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-29568?

How severe is CVE-2020-29568?

CVE-2020-29568 has a CVSS score of 6.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.35% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2020-29568?

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-2020-29568?

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

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST