CVE-2007-2893
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedHeap-based buffer overflow in the bx_ne2k_c::rx_frame function in iodev/ne2k.cc in the emulated NE2000 device in Bochs 2.3 allows local users of the guest operating system to write to arbitrary memory locations and gain privileges on the host operating system via vectors that cause TXCNT register values to exceed the device memory size, aka "RX Frame heap overflow."
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceA heap-based buffer overflow exists in Bochs' emulated NE2000 network card (bx_ne2k_c::rx_frame function in iodev/ne2k.cc). The vulnerability occurs when the TXCNT register value exceeds the device memory size, allowing a malicious guest OS user to write to arbitrary memory locations on the host and potentially escalate privileges.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 2.3CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Bochs installation and versionRun 'bochs --version' or check package manager for bochs package versionAffected if The installed version is 2.3 (exact match to affected version)
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Locate Bochs configuration fileLook for bochsrc, bochsrc.txt, or .bochsrc in the user's home directory, current working directory, or /etc/bochs/Affected if A Bochs configuration file exists and contains NE2000 settings
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Verify NE2000 network emulation is enabledIn the configuration file, search for lines containing 'ne2k', 'ne2000', or 'nic' - typically appear as 'ne2k=...' or 'vga_extension: cirrus' followed by network settingsAffected if The configuration contains NE2000/NE2000 emulation directives enabling the network card
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Confirm NE2000 I/O port configurationCheck for ne2k iobase address setting (typically 0x280, 0x300, or 0x320) in the config fileAffected if An NE2000 I/O port is explicitly configured, indicating the vulnerable emulation is active
You are affected if Bochs version 2.3 is installed AND the NE2000 network card emulation is enabled in your Bochs configuration file, since the overflow only triggers when the emulated NE2000 device processes network frames.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade to a patched version of Bochs that includes proper bounds checking on TXCNT register values before copying frame data into the emulated NE2000 device buffer.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,808.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2007-2893 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2007-2893 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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