CVE-2014-3646

Published: 23 October 2014

arch/x86/kvm/vmx.c in the KVM subsystem in the Linux kernel through 3.17.2 does not have an exit handler for the INVVPID instruction, which allows guest OS users to cause a denial of service (guest OS crash) via a crafted application. A local unprivileged guest user could use this flaw to crash the guest.

From the Ubuntu Security Team

A flaw was discovered with the handling of the invept instruction in the KVM (Kernel Virtual Machine) subsystem of the Linux kernel. An unprivileged guest user could exploit this flaw to cause a denial of service (system crash) on the guest.

Notes

android kernels (flo, goldfish, grouper, maguro, mako and manta) are
not supported on the Ubuntu Touch 14.04 preview kernels
linux-lts-saucy no longer receives official support
linux-lts-quantal no longer receives official support
CVE disclosure was part of miscoordinated CRD (various (incomplete)
commits were publicly leaked by other vendors and upstream before the embargo
was lifted).
Updates for linux on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS were made available to users
on 2014/10/28 but due to a process error, USN publication did not happen
until 2014/10/30.
Updates for linux-lts-trusty on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS were made available
to users on 2014/10/29 but due to a process error, USN publication did not
happen until 2014/10/30.
Updates for linux on Ubuntu 14.10 were made available to users on
2014/10/28 but due to a process error, USN publication did not happen until
2014/10/31.

Status

Severity score breakdown

References

• https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2014-3646
• https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-2394-1
• https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-2395-1
• https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-2396-1
• https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-2417-1
• https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-2418-1
• NVD
• Launchpad
• Debian

Bugs

• https://launchpad.net/bugs/1384544