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CVE-2024-50115 High

KVM: nSVM: Ignore nCR3[4:0] when loading PDPTEs from memory

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: nSVM: Ignore nCR3[4:0] when loading PDPTEs from memory Ignore nCR3[4:0] when loading PDPTEs from memory for nested SVM, as bits 4:0 of CR3 are ignored when PAE paging is used, and thus VMRUN doesn't enforce 32-byte alignment of nCR3. In the absolute worst case scenario, failure to ignore bits 4:0 can result in an out-of-bounds read, e.g. if the target page is at the end of a memslot, and the VMM isn't using guard pages. Per the APM: The CR3 register points to the base address of the page-directory-pointer table. The page-directory-pointer table is aligned on a 32-byte boundary, with the low 5 address bits 4:0 assumed to be 0. And the SDM's much more explicit: 4:0 Ignored Note, KVM gets this right when loading PDPTRs, it's only the nSVM flow that is broken.

Exploit probability 0.2%
Published November 5, 2024
Required by Not available
Last source change August 12, 2026

02 / AFFECTED SOFTWARE

Affected packages

Linux Kernel
Unknown Unknown

03 / CONNECTIONS

Connected vulnerabilities

related USN-7276-1
related USN-7277-1

04 / EVIDENCE

Source records

Open Source Vulnerabilities CVE-2024-50115

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: nSVM: Ignore nCR3[4:0] when loading PDPTEs from memory Ignore nCR3[4:0] when loading PDPTEs from memory for nested SVM, as bits 4:0 of CR3 are ignored when PAE paging is used, and thus VMRUN doesn't enforce 32-byte alignment of nCR3. In the absolute worst case scenario, failure to ignore bits 4:0 can result in an out-of-bounds read, e.g. if the target page is at the end of a memslot, and the VMM isn't using guard pages. Per the APM: The CR3 register points to the base address of the page-directory-pointer table. The page-directory-pointer table is aligned on a 32-byte boundary, with the low 5 address bits 4:0 assumed to be 0. And the SDM's much more explicit: 4:0 Ignored Note, KVM gets this right when loading PDPTRs, it's only the nSVM flow that is broken.

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05 / REFERENCES

Further evidence