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QemuApplication

CVE-2024-7730

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.1.0 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

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 · unedited
A heap buffer overflow was found in the virtio-snd device in QEMU. When reading input audio in the virtio-snd input callback, virtio_snd_pcm_in_cb, the function did not check whether the iov can fit the data buffer. This issue can trigger an out-of-bounds write if the size of the virtio queue element is equal to virtio_snd_pcm_status, which makes the available space for audio data zero.

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 confidence

A heap buffer overflow vulnerability exists in QEMU's virtio-snd device emulation. The virtio_snd_pcm_in_cb function fails to validate that the iov (input/output vector) has sufficient capacity to hold the audio data buffer before processing. When the virtio queue element size equals virtio_snd_pcm_status, the available data space becomes zero, causing an out-of-bounds write during audio input processing.

MitigationApply the QEMU security patch for CVE-2024-7730 which adds proper bounds checking in the virtio_snd_pcm_in_cb function to verify iov capacity before data operations. Upgrade to patched QEMU versions when available.

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
QemuApplication
Affected:< 9.1.0

CVSS 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
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check QEMU version
    Run 'qemu-system-x86_64 --version' or 'qemu --version' to determine the installed QEMU version
    Affected if Version is less than 9.1.0 (e.g., 9.0.x, 8.x, earlier)
  2. Identify virtio-snd device usage
    Review QEMU command line arguments or VM configuration files for '-device virtio-sound-pci' or similar virtio-sound device definitions
    Affected if A virtio-sound device is configured (e.g., virtio-sound-pci, virtio-sound-device)
  3. Check for PCM input/capture configuration
    Inspect VM configuration for audio input (capture) settings related to the virtio-snd device, such as configuring PCM playback or capture buffers
    Affected if PCM input processing is enabled or configured in the virtio-sound device
  4. Verify virtio queue configuration
    Examine QEMU logs or configuration for virtio-snd queue element sizes. The vulnerability triggers when queue element size equals virtio_snd_pcm_status (typically small values).
    Affected if Virtio queue element size for audio is configured at or near the minimum allowed value

Your environment is affected if you run QEMU version below 9.1.0 with a virtio-sound device that processes audio input (PCM capture), particularly with minimal queue element sizes.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 9.1.0 or later
Fixed in 9.1.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the QEMU security patch for CVE-2024-7730 which adds proper bounds checking in the virtio_snd_pcm_in_cb function to verify iov capacity before data operations. Upgrade to patched QEMU versions when available.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

QEMU 9.1.0

  1. Identify all QEMU installations running virtio-snd device (vhost-user-sound or virtio-sound) in your environment
  2. Stop all virtual machines or containers using the affected QEMU instances
  3. Upgrade QEMU to version 9.1.0 or later which contains the fix for the heap buffer overflow in virtio-snd
  4. Verify the QEMU version after upgrade: qemu-system-x86_64 --version (or respective architecture)
  5. Restart the virtual machines with the upgraded QEMU binary
  6. Test that virtio-sound device functions correctly with audio input/output
Caveat QEMU 9.1.0 may include other changes; review the release notes for compatibility with your VM images and guest operating systems

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Qemu Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,120
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-7730 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data