Kernel memory corruption via undersized emergency stack frame
Published May 22, 2024 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Out-of-bounds writes in Linux KVM on PowerPC systems starting with 5.2 allow local users to corrupt adjacent kernel stack memory. idle_kvm_start_guest() writes its backchain, CR, and LR above the emergency-stack allocation, then saves nonvolatile registers into an undersized frame. Local users must reach the Book3S HV guest-start path; the corruption overlaps other emergency or IRQ stacks and can crash the host under extreme stack pressure.
Summary
What happened
Out-of-bounds writes in Linux KVM on PowerPC systems starting with 5.2 allow local users to corrupt adjacent kernel stack memory. idle_kvm_start_guest() writes its backchain, CR, and LR above the emergency-stack allocation, then saves nonvolatile registers into an undersized frame. Local users must reach the Book3S HV guest-start path; the corruption overlaps other emergency or IRQ stacks and can crash the host under extreme stack pressure.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-47465
- Published
- May 22, 2024
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-674
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 22, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 5, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=10d91611f426d4bafd2a83d966c36da811b2f7ad <6d077c37c4643394b1bae9682da48164fc147ea8
- Affected versionversion=10d91611f426d4bafd2a83d966c36da811b2f7ad <80bbb0bc3a0288442f7fe6fc514f4ee1cb06ccb7
- Affected versionversion=10d91611f426d4bafd2a83d966c36da811b2f7ad <9b4416c5095c20e110c82ae602c254099b83b72f
- Affected versionversion=10d91611f426d4bafd2a83d966c36da811b2f7ad <fbd724c49bead048ae9fc1a5b7bff2fb3e54f855
- Affected versionversion=5.2
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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