Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian
CVE-2007-5729
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 · uneditedThe NE2000 emulator in QEMU 0.8.2 allows local users to execute arbitrary code by writing Ethernet frames with a size larger than the MTU to the EN0_TCNT register, which triggers a heap-based buffer overflow in the slirp library, aka NE2000 "mtu" heap overflow. NOTE: some sources have used CVE-2007-1321 to refer to this issue as part of "NE2000 network driver and the socket code," but this is the correct identifier for the mtu overflow vulnerability.
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 confidenceQEMU 0.8.2 contains a heap-based buffer overflow in the NE2000 network emulator. The vulnerability is triggered when local users write Ethernet frames with a size larger than the MTU to the EN0_TCNT register, causing a heap overflow in the slirp library that can be exploited for arbitrary code execution.
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
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 3.1= 4.0= 0.8.2= 11.0= 11.1CVSS 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 QEMU versionRun 'qemu --version' or check the installed package version via your system's package manager (e.g., dpkg -l qemu, rpm -q qemu)Affected if The installed version is 0.8.2 exactly
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Confirm NE2000 emulation is in useReview the QEMU command line or VM configuration for '-net nic,model=ne2k_pci' or similar NE2000 NIC specificationAffected if NE2000 (ne2k_pci) network adapter is configured for the virtual machine
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Verify slirp networking is enabledExamine the QEMU command line for '-net user' or other slirp-based user networking configurationAffected if The virtual machine uses slirp user-mode networking (typically -net user without tap or socket options)
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Check for large Ethernet frame handlingInspect VM network traffic or logs for any errors related to oversized Ethernet frames (larger than 1500 bytes MTU) being processed through the NE2000 emulationAffected if The NE2000 emulator processes Ethernet frames exceeding the standard 1500-byte MTU
You are affected if running QEMU version 0.8.2 with NE2000 network emulation (ne2k_pci) combined with slirp user-mode networking, which allows a heap overflow when handling oversized Ethernet 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 dataUpdate QEMU to version 0.9.0 or later, which contains the patched NE2000 emulation code with proper bounds checking on Ethernet frame sizes.
Fix this in Debian Linux
Scoped from the published advisory
- 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-2007-5729 — 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-2007-5729 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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