Memory disclosure via KSM unmap timing
Published Jan 30, 2024 · Updated Nov 21, 2025
Observable discrepancy in Linux kernel KSM 4.4.0-96.119 and later allows local users to infer victim-page contents through unmap timing. When a candidate page reaches the sharing cap, KSM creates additional physical pages, making MADV_UNMERGEABLE latency reveal whether the victim holds an identical page. The attacker needs a local account or co-resident workload, an exact candidate-page match, active KSM, and max_page_sharing set to 256; the consequence is read-only leakage of matched page contents.
Summary
What happened
Observable discrepancy in Linux kernel KSM 4.4.0-96.119 and later allows local users to infer victim-page contents through unmap timing. When a candidate page reaches the sharing cap, KSM creates additional physical pages, making MADV_UNMERGEABLE latency reveal whether the victim holds an identical page. The attacker needs a local account or co-resident workload, an exact candidate-page match, active KSM, and max_page_sharing set to 256; the consequence is read-only leakage of matched page contents.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-0564
- Published
- Jan 30, 2024
- Updated
- Nov 21, 2025
- Vendor
- Red Hat
- Product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Classifications
- CWE-203, T1005
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 30, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Nov 21, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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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
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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