CVE-2012-0029
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 process_tx_desc function in the e1000 emulation (hw/e1000.c) in qemu-kvm 0.12, and possibly other versions, allows guest OS users to cause a denial of service (QEMU crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via crafted legacy mode packets.
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 confidenceHeap-based buffer overflow in QEMU-KVM's e1000 network card emulation (process_tx_desc function in hw/e1000.c). Guest OS users can send crafted legacy mode packets to overflow a heap buffer, causing QEMU process crash (DoS) or potentially executing arbitrary code on the host system.
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= 0.12CVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- M
- Authentication
- Single
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:A/AC:M/Au:S/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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Check QEMU-KVM versionRun 'rpm -q qemu-kvm' or 'qemu-kvm --version' to determine the installed version of QEMU-KVMAffected if The version is 0.12.x (any minor release of 0.12)
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Identify VMs using e1000 network deviceList all VM configurations and check for 'e1000' or '82540EM' in the network device definitions. Use 'virsh dumpxml <vm-name>' to inspect each VM's XML configurationAffected if Any VM has an e1000 network card configured (device model='e1000' or similar)
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Check for legacy e1000 driver in guestInspect the guest VM's network interface configuration to confirm it is using the legacy e1000 driver rather than virtio-netAffected if The guest is using the e1000/Intel PRO/1000 driver for its network interface
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Verify exposed network attack surfaceReview which guest VMs with e1000 devices have network connectivity, either directly or via bridges, that could allow external or guest-originated crafted packets to reach the e1000 emulationAffected if A guest VM with e1000 network device has active network connectivity that could receive malicious packets
A system is affected if it runs QEMU-KVM version 0.12 and any guest VM is configured to use the e1000 network card emulation with network access.
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 dataApply the vendor patch to qemu-kvm or upgrade to a patched version. Alternatively, migrate guest VMs from e1000 to para-virtualized virtio-net network drivers which do not have this vulnerability.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing5.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-0029 — 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-2012-0029 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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