varstored vulnerability

What happened

varstored is a component of the Xapi toolstack handling UEFI Variables for a VM. It has a communication path with OVMF inside the VM involving mapping a buffer prepared by OVMF. Within varstored, there were insufficient compiler barriers, creating TOCTOU issues with data in the shared buffer. The exact vulnerable behaviour depends on the code generated by the compiler. In a build of varstored using default settings, the attacker can control an index used in a jump table.

Affected versions

varstored: all Fixed: See vendor advisory.

Why it matters

Review the vendor advisory and exposure of the affected product to determine operational impact.

Detection & mitigation

• Apply vendor-provided updates or mitigations.
• Review affected product exposure and access logs.