Kernel memory disclosure via uninitialized debug-register structure
Published Mar 23, 2023 · Updated Feb 25, 2025
Information disclosure in Linux Kernel KVM before 6.2 allows local users to read uninitialized kernel memory through a debug-register ioctl. The kvm_vcpu_ioctl_x86_get_debugregs function copied a partly initialized kvm_debugregs structure to userspace instead of clearing the entire output buffer first. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access on a 32-bit x86 KVM host and exposes residual kernel-memory contents without altering data or interrupting service.
Summary
What happened
Information disclosure in Linux Kernel KVM before 6.2 allows local users to read uninitialized kernel memory through a debug-register ioctl. The kvm_vcpu_ioctl_x86_get_debugregs function copied a partly initialized kvm_debugregs structure to userspace instead of clearing the entire output buffer first. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access on a 32-bit x86 KVM host and exposes residual kernel-memory contents without altering data or interrupting service.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-1513
- Published
- Mar 23, 2023
- Updated
- Feb 25, 2025
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux Kernel
- Classifications
- CWE-665, T1005
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 23, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Feb 25, 2025Record 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.
- Affected versionversion=Fixed in kernel 6.2
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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
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
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo