CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2018-1087 — Linux Linux Kernel security vulnerability

High CVSS 8

kernel KVM before versions kernel 4.16, kernel 4.16-rc7, kernel 4.17-rc1, kernel 4.17-rc2 and kernel 4.17-rc3 is vulnerable to a flaw in the way the Linux kernel's KVM hypervisor handled exceptions delivered after a stack switch operation via Mov SS or Pop SS instructions. During the stack switch operation, the processor did not deliver interrupts and exceptions, rather they are delivered once the first instruction after the stack switch is executed. An unprivileged KVM guest user could use this flaw to crash the guest or, potentially, escalate their privileges in the guest.

Severity
High
CVSS
8 (3.0)
Published
2018-05-15
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
linux/kernel
Weaknesses
CWE-250

Affected products

  • linux / linux_kernel / 4.16
  • linux / linux_kernel / 4.17
  • canonical / ubuntu_linux / 14.04
  • canonical / ubuntu_linux / 16.04
  • canonical / ubuntu_linux / 17.10
  • debian / debian_linux / 8.0

Showing 6 representative product identities from 24 source matches. Confirm exact affected versions with the linked vendor and NVD evidence.

Matched remediation archetype

Privilege escalation and unsafe privilege management

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Map service accounts, operating-system identities, roles, capabilities, impersonation, set-user transitions, and administrative helper paths.
  • Determine whether untrusted users or lower-privilege processes can reach the affected transition or modify inputs it trusts.
  • Review file, socket, registry, device, job, container, and cloud-role permissions used before and after privilege changes.

Remediate safely

  • Apply the supported fix and redesign privileged operations as a minimal, authenticated, allowlisted interface.
  • Drop privileges before processing untrusted input, verify the drop succeeds, and remove unnecessary roles, capabilities, and write permissions.
  • Validate ownership and permissions at time of use and add explicit lower-to-higher privilege boundary tests.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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