CVE-2025-12464
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 · uneditedA stack-based buffer overflow was found in the QEMU e1000 network device. The code for padding short frames was dropped from individual network devices and moved to the net core code. The issue stems from the device's receive code still being able to process a short frame in loopback mode. This could lead to a buffer overrun in the e1000_receive_iov() function via the loopback code path. A malicious guest user could use this vulnerability to crash the QEMU process on the host, resulting in a denial of service.
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 confidenceA stack-based buffer overflow exists in QEMU's e1000 network device emulation. The padding code for short frames was migrated to the net core, but the e1000 device's receive handler can still process short frames in loopback mode without proper boundary checks, causing a buffer overrun in the e1000_receive_iov() function.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/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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Identify QEMU installation and versionRun 'qemu-system-x86_64 --version' or check your package manager for the installed qemu versionAffected if The QEMU version is unknown or predates the CVE-2025-12464 patch date
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Determine if e1000 network device is configuredReview VM configuration files or running VM definitions for '-netdev type=e1000' or '-device e1000' parametersAffected if Any VM is configured to use the e1000 network device emulators (e1000, e1000e, or 82540EM)
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Check if loopback mode is enabled for e1000 devicesInspect VM network configuration for 'loopback=on' or 'mode=loopback' settings on e1000 interfaces, or check if the guest OS has placed the e1000 interface in loopback modeAffected if An e1000 network interface is operating in loopback mode (host or guest-side)
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Verify net stack receive path configurationCheck QEMU command-line for '-net' or '-netdev' options that enable internal loopback or short frame processing on e1000 devicesAffected if Network configuration permits internal packet loopback without VLAN tagging that would otherwise prevent short frame processing
A system is affected if it runs an unpatched QEMU version with an e1000 network device configured in loopback mode, allowing short frames to trigger the buffer overflow in e1000_receive_iov()
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 QEMU security patch for CVE-2025-12464 or upgrade to a patched QEMU version. As a workaround, avoid using e1000 devices in loopback mode until the fix is applied.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-12464 — 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-2025-12464 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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