CVE-2022-36648
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 hardware emulation in the of_dpa_cmd_add_l2_flood of rocker device model in QEMU, as used in 7.0.0 and earlier, allows remote attackers to crash the host qemu and potentially execute code on the host via execute a malformed program in the guest OS. Note: This has been disputed by multiple third parties as not a valid vulnerability due to the rocker device not falling within the virtualization use case.
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 · moderate confidenceVulnerability in QEMU's rocker device model hardware emulation (of_dpa_cmd_add_l2_flood function) affecting versions 7.0.0 and earlier. A malformed program executed in the guest could crash the host QEMU process or potentially achieve code execution on the host. However, this vulnerability is disputed by third parties as not being a valid virtualization vulnerability since the rocker device is a network switch emulation not typically used in virtualization contexts.
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<= 7.0.0CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/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 QEMU versionRun `qemu --version` or `qemu-system-x86_64 --version` to determine the installed QEMU versionAffected if Version is 7.0.0 or lower
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Identify running QEMU processes using rockerRun `ps aux | grep qemu` and inspect command line arguments for 'rocker' device references, or examine VM XML configs with `virsh dumpxml <domain>` for rocker device definitionsAffected if Any QEMU process or VM configuration includes the rocker network switch emulation device
You are affected only if your QEMU version is 7.0.0 or earlier AND a virtual machine is configured to use the rocker device emulation.
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.
dbcve · scopedIf the rocker device is in use, consider disabling it or upgrading to a patched QEMU version once available. For most virtualization deployments, this device is not used by default, reducing actual exposure.
QEMU 7.2.0 (or 7.1.0 minimum)
- 1. Identify all QEMU installations running version 7.0.0 or earlier in your environment
- 2. Stop any running QEMU instances that use the rocker device emulation
- 3. Upgrade QEMU to version 7.1.0 or later (7.2.0 recommended for additional stability fixes)
- 4. Verify the upgrade by checking `qemu-system-x86_64 --version` shows the new version
- 5. Restart QEMU instances with the updated binary
- 6. If rocker device emulation is not required in your virtualization environment, consider disabling it using `-device none` or removing the rocker device from your VM configurations as an additional precaution
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-36648 — 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-2022-36648 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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