CVE-2022-49611

Guest-to-host disruption via RSB poisoning

Published Feb 26, 2025 · Updated May 23, 2026

Speculative-execution failure in Linux kernel KVM x86 builds allows guest OS users to disrupt the host through return-stack-buffer poisoning. The VM-exit return path restores host SPEC_CTRL state too late and can reach an unbalanced return before filling the RSB, allowing guest-controlled predictions to influence host speculation. Access to an x86 KVM guest is required; NVD bounds the scored impact to availability, but public sources do not identify the resulting hang, crash, or reboot behavior.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.28%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Speculative-execution failure in Linux kernel KVM x86 builds allows guest OS users to disrupt the host through return-stack-buffer poisoning. The VM-exit return path restores host SPEC_CTRL state too late and can reach an unbalanced return before filling the RSB, allowing guest-controlled predictions to influence host speculation. Access to an x86 KVM guest is required; NVD bounds the scored impact to availability, but public sources do not identify the resulting hang, crash, or reboot behavior.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-49611
Published
Feb 26, 2025
Updated
May 23, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 26, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 23, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=117cc7a908c83697b0b737d15ae1eb5943afe35b <17a9fc4a7b91f8599223631bb6ae6416bc0de1c0
  2. Affected versionversion=117cc7a908c83697b0b737d15ae1eb5943afe35b <4d7f72b6e1bc630bec7e4cd51814bc2b092bf153
  3. Affected versionversion=117cc7a908c83697b0b737d15ae1eb5943afe35b <8c38306e2e9257af4af2819aa287a4711ff36329
  4. Affected versionversion=117cc7a908c83697b0b737d15ae1eb5943afe35b <8d5cff499a6d740c91ff37963907e0e983c37f0f
  5. Affected versionversion=117cc7a908c83697b0b737d15ae1eb5943afe35b <9756bba28470722dacb79ffce554336dd1f6a6cd
  6. Affected versionversion=117cc7a908c83697b0b737d15ae1eb5943afe35b <f744b88dfc201bf8092833ec70b23c720188b527
  7. Affected versionversion=20e080e2752d108388d386ecc0b33d7797dfb18f
  8. Affected versionversion=3.16.56 <3.17
  9. Affected versionversion=3.2.101 <3.3
  10. Affected versionversion=4.14.14 <4.14.297
  11. Affected versionversion=4.15
  12. Affected versionversion=4.4.113 <4.5
  13. Affected versionversion=4.9.77 <4.10
  14. Affected versionversion=68d1f7a3f1a35639a563bbad768d5df885b4ff05
  15. Affected versionversion=b9cdaaf0a3becc52e8b4662fef28c452c4f009b4 <3d323b99ff5c8c57005184056d65f6af5b0479d8
  16. Affected versionversion=c1ddd99a029636e234a800f28790a60d6ac0318f
  17. Affected versionversion=eebc3f8adee0a6f43a4789ef0bf5c5b35de8cfe4

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=117cc7a908c83697b0b737d15ae1eb5943afe35b <17a9fc4a7b91f8599223631bb6ae6416bc0de1c0; version=117cc7a908c83697b0b737d15ae1eb5943afe35b <4d7f72b6e1bc630bec7e4cd51814bc2b092bf153; version=117cc7a908c83697b0b737d15ae1eb5943afe35b <8c38306e2e9257af4af2819aa287a4711ff36329; version=117cc7a908c83697b0b737d15ae1eb5943afe35b <8d5cff499a6d740c91ff37963907e0e983c37f0f; version=117cc7a908c83697b0b737d15ae1eb5943afe35b <9756bba28470722dacb79ffce554336dd1f6a6cd; version=117cc7a908c83697b0b737d15ae1eb5943afe35b <f744b88dfc201bf8092833ec70b23c720188b527; version=20e080e2752d108388d386ecc0b33d7797dfb18f; version=3.16.56 <3.17; version=3.2.101 <3.3; version=4.14.14 <4.14.297; version=4.15; version=4.4.113 <4.5; version=4.9.77 <4.10; version=68d1f7a3f1a35639a563bbad768d5df885b4ff05; version=b9cdaaf0a3becc52e8b4662fef28c452c4f009b4 <3d323b99ff5c8c57005184056d65f6af5b0479d8; version=c1ddd99a029636e234a800f28790a60d6ac0318f; version=eebc3f8adee0a6f43a4789ef0bf5c5b35de8cfe4

Published CVSS scores

5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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