CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2018-16882 — Linux Linux Kernel security vulnerability

High CVSS 8.8

A use-after-free issue was found in the way the Linux kernel's KVM hypervisor processed posted interrupts when nested(=1) virtualization is enabled. In nested_get_vmcs12_pages(), in case of an error while processing posted interrupt address, it unmaps the 'pi_desc_page' without resetting 'pi_desc' descriptor address, which is later used in pi_test_and_clear_on(). A guest user/process could use this flaw to crash the host kernel resulting in DoS or potentially gain privileged access to a system. Kernel versions before 4.14.91 and before 4.19.13 are vulnerable.

Severity
High
CVSS
8.8 (3.1)
Published
2019-01-03
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
linux/kernel
Weaknesses
CWE-416

Affected products

  • linux / linux_kernel
  • canonical / ubuntu_linux / 14.04
  • canonical / ubuntu_linux / 16.04
  • canonical / ubuntu_linux / 18.04
  • canonical / ubuntu_linux / 18.10

Showing 5 representative product identities from 6 source matches. Confirm exact affected versions with the linked vendor and NVD evidence.

Matched remediation archetype

Use-after-free, double free, and expired resource use

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

Check exposure

  • Trace ownership, references, callbacks, asynchronous tasks, and teardown paths around the affected object or resource.
  • Identify reachable inputs and timing or state transitions that can release the object while references remain.
  • Confirm affected builds, allocators, feature flags, architectures, and process privileges.

Remediate safely

  • Apply the maintained ownership or lifetime fix and rebuild all artifacts containing the affected native code.
  • Use explicit ownership, safe reference management, cancellation and join semantics, and idempotent teardown.
  • Add deterministic lifetime tests plus isolated sanitizer and concurrency coverage for shutdown and error paths.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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