Guest compromise via freed decrypted DMA pages
Published May 19, 2024 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Memory handling in the Linux kernel dma-direct path allows attackers controlling a TDX host to compromise confidential guest memory. When dma_set_decrypted() fails, dma_direct_alloc() and dma_direct_alloc_pages() free pages that remain decrypted and shared back to the page allocator. Reachability requires a TDX guest and a host-triggered conversion failure; page reuse can expose or corrupt guest data and interrupt service.
Summary
What happened
Memory handling in the Linux kernel dma-direct path allows attackers controlling a TDX host to compromise confidential guest memory. When dma_set_decrypted() fails, dma_direct_alloc() and dma_direct_alloc_pages() free pages that remain decrypted and shared back to the page allocator. Reachability requires a TDX guest and a host-triggered conversion failure; page reuse can expose or corrupt guest data and interrupt service.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-35939
- Published
- May 19, 2024
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 19, 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=56fccf21d1961a06e2a0c96ce446ebf036651062 <4031b72ca747a1e6e9ae4fa729e765b43363d66a
- Affected versionversion=56fccf21d1961a06e2a0c96ce446ebf036651062 <4e0cfb25d49da2e6261ad582f58ffa5b5dd8c8e9
- Affected versionversion=56fccf21d1961a06e2a0c96ce446ebf036651062 <b57326c96b7bc7638aa8c44e12afa2defe0c934c
- Affected versionversion=56fccf21d1961a06e2a0c96ce446ebf036651062 <b9fa16949d18e06bdf728a560f5c8af56d2bdcaf
- Affected versionversion=5.7.7 <5.8
- Affected versionversion=5.8
- Affected versionversion=91c7b0407ca6a62c095d265f76926b67bf66c026
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
No sourced classifications are available.
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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