CVE-2026-62434
Received Received - Intake

Memory Corruption in Xen via PoD Guest Reclamation

Publication date: 2026-07-28

Last updated on: 2026-07-28

Assigner: Xen Project

Description
A guest started with Populated on Demand enabled (PoD) can attempt to reclaim pages which aren't regular guest RAM. This can cause corruption of memory management state in Xen.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-07-28
Last Modified
2026-07-28
Generated
2026-07-28
AI Q&A
2026-07-28
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-62434
EUVD
EUVD-2026-49787

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
xen xen From 3.4 (inc)

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Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability affects Xen versions from 3.4 onwards on x86 systems when running x86 HVM or PVH guests with Populate on Demand (PoD) enabled. PoD is triggered when a guest's maxmem value exceeds its memory value. A guest can reclaim pages that are not regular RAM, corrupting Xen's memory management state. This may cause crashes, malfunctions, information leaks, or privilege escalation.

Detection Guidance

Check if any Xen guests are configured with Populate on Demand (PoD) by verifying if 'maxmem' exceeds 'memory' in guest configurations. Use 'xl list' or 'virsh list' to inspect running guests and their memory settings.

Impact Analysis

If you run affected Xen versions with PoD enabled on x86 HVM or PVH guests, this flaw could crash your system, leak sensitive data, or allow unauthorized privilege escalation. Systems using only PV guests or HVM/PVH without PoD are not affected.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability does not directly affect compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or similar standards as it is a technical memory corruption issue in Xen's memory management. However, if exploited, it could lead to information leaks or privilege escalation, which may indirectly impact compliance by compromising data confidentiality or system integrity.

Mitigation Strategies

Disable PoD mode for affected guests by ensuring 'maxmem' does not exceed 'memory' in guest configurations. Alternatively, switch to PV guests if possible. Apply the provided patch from XSA-507 immediately.

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