LibvirtApplication · Redhat
CVE-2015-5247
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 virStorageVolCreateXML API in libvirt 1.2.14 through 1.2.19 allows remote authenticated users with a read-write connection to cause a denial of service (libvirtd crash) by triggering a failed unlink after creating a volume on a root_squash NFS pool.
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 confidenceThe virStorageVolCreateXML API in libvirt 1.2.14-1.2.19 contains a denial of service vulnerability where remote authenticated users with read-write connections can trigger a libvirtd crash by creating a volume on a root_squash NFS pool and triggering a failed unlink operation.
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
LibvirtApplication
= 1.2.14= 1.2.15= 1.2.16= 1.2.17= 1.2.18= 1.2.19
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
= 12.04= 14.04= 15.04= 15.10CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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 installed libvirt versionRun 'rpm -q libvirt' on RHEL/CentOS or 'dpkg -l libvirt-bin' on Ubuntu to get the package version, or run 'virsh --version' to get the libvirtd version numberAffected if The version is 1.2.14, 1.2.15, 1.2.16, 1.2.17, 1.2.18, or 1.2.19
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Identify storage pools using NFS with root_squashRun 'virsh pool-list --all' to list all storage pools, then for each pool run 'virsh pool-dumpxml <poolname>' and examine the <source> section for NFS pools containing '<squash type="squash">' or root_squash configurationAffected if Any NFS storage pool is configured with root_squash (squash mapping)
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Verify read-write access to storage volume APIsCheck libvirt authentication configuration in /etc/libvirt/libvirtd.conf for 'auth_unix_rw' setting, or review access control policies in /etc/libvirt/storageacl.conf if presentAffected if Authentication allows read-write (auth_unix_rw is not set to 'none' or access is granted to untrusted users)
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Confirm remote authentication is enabledCheck /etc/libvirt/libvirtd.conf for SASL, TLS, or other remote authentication settings, and verify with 'virsh uri' that remote connections are acceptedAffected if Remote authenticated users can connect to libvirtd with read-write privileges
You are affected if libvirt version is 1.2.14-1.2.19 AND an NFS storage pool with root_squash is configured AND remote authenticated users have read-write storage API 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 dataUpgrade libvirt to version 1.2.20 or later, and restrict read-write access to storage volume APIs for untrusted authenticated users.
Fix this in Libvirt
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-5247 — 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-2015-5247 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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