Host crash via KVM dirty-ring teardown race
Published Aug 31, 2022 · Updated Aug 2, 2024
NULL pointer dereference in Linux Kernel KVM before 5.18-rc3 allows local users to crash the host through KVM ioctl calls. During vCPU destruction, kvm_vcpu_destroy frees dirty-ring storage before architecture teardown finishes, so a concurrent KVM_RUN path can push a dirty page through the cleared pointer. The race requires local low-privileged KVM access, dirty-ring support, and concurrent vCPU release; successful exploitation produces a kernel oops that interrupts the host.
Summary
What happened
NULL pointer dereference in Linux Kernel KVM before 5.18-rc3 allows local users to crash the host through KVM ioctl calls. During vCPU destruction, kvm_vcpu_destroy frees dirty-ring storage before architecture teardown finishes, so a concurrent KVM_RUN path can push a dirty page through the cleared pointer. The race requires local low-privileged KVM access, dirty-ring support, and concurrent vCPU release; successful exploitation produces a kernel oops that interrupts the host.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-1263
- Published
- Aug 31, 2022
- Updated
- Aug 2, 2024
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux Kernel
- Classifications
- CWE-476, T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 31, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 2, 2024Record 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=Fixed in kernel v5.18-rc3
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
- KVM dirty-ring NULL-dereference reproducerproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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