What is the full meaning of the name VENOM in computer security?
The name stands for Virtualized Environment Neglected Operations Manipulation. It describes how untrusted operations were manipulated within a virtualized setting.
Questions about Venom
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When was the computer security flaw named VENOM publicly announced?
The vulnerability was publicly announced on the 13th of May 2015 alongside a branded website and logo. Security advisories followed quickly from major vendors such as Red Hat, SUSE, Oracle, and IBM.
Who discovered the computer security flaw known as VENOM?
Jason Geffner identified the issue while conducting a security review of hypervisors at CrowdStrike. He worked as a senior security researcher when he uncovered the vulnerability.
Which specific software component contained the root cause of the VENOM vulnerability?
The root cause lay deep within QEMU's floppy disk controller implementation. A specific coding error permitted unauthorized memory access during disk operations.
What is the CVE identifier assigned to track the VENOM vulnerability?
The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures database assigned the identifier CVE-2015-3456 to track the flaw. Rapid patching helped limit potential damage across thousands of deployed virtual machines.