CVE-2023-5088

Name: CVE-2023-5088
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2023-11-03T14:15:08.56+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

HIGHCVSS 7/10EPSS 0.23%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2023-5088 is a high-severity vulnerability rated 7/10 on the CVSS scale. A bug in QEMU could cause a guest I/O operation otherwise addressed to an arbitrary disk offset to be targeted to offset 0 instead (potentially overwriting the VM's boot code). This could be used, for example, by L2 guests with a virtual disk (vdiskL2) stored on a virtual disk of an L1 (vdiskL1) hypervisor to read and/or write data to LBA 0 of vdiskL1, potentially gaining control of L1 at its next reboot.. EPSS estimates a 0.23% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

A bug in QEMU could cause a guest I/O operation otherwise addressed to an arbitrary disk offset to be targeted to offset 0 instead (potentially overwriting the VM's boot code). This could be used, for example, by L2 guests with a virtual disk (vdiskL2) stored on a virtual disk of an L1 (vdiskL1) hypervisor to read and/or write data to LBA 0 of vdiskL1, potentially gaining control of L1 at its next reboot.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.23%

13.8th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Qemu	Qemu	< 8.2.0
Redhat	Enterprise Linux	8.0
Redhat	Enterprise Linux	9.0

References

https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:2135
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:2962
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-5088Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2247283Issue Tracking, Patch
https://lore.kernel.org/all/20230921160712.99521-1-simon.rowe@nutanix.com/T/Mailing List, Patch
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:2135
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:2962
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-5088Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2247283Issue Tracking, Patch
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/03/msg00012.html
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/04/msg00042.html
https://lore.kernel.org/all/20230921160712.99521-1-simon.rowe@nutanix.com/T/Mailing List, Patch
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20231208-0005/

Timeline

Published: Nov 3, 2023
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-5088?

How severe is CVE-2023-5088?

CVE-2023-5088 has a CVSS score of 7/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.23% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2023-5088?

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-2023-5088?

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

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST