xen: Uninitialized state in x86 PV failsafe callback path (XSA-274)
Published Jul 28, 2018
7.8
HIGHCVSS 3.1
EPSS 0.41%
Description
An issue was discovered in the Linux kernel through 4.17.11, as used in Xen through 4.11.x. The xen_failsafe_callback entry point in arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S does not properly maintain RBX, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (uninitialized memory usage and system crash). Within Xen, 64-bit x86 PV Linux guest OS users can trigger a guest OS crash or possibly gain privileges.
Affected products
No data.
Configuration 1
- ≥ 4.14.21 · < 4.14.61
- ≥ 4.15.5 · < 4.17.13
Configuration 3
- 8.0
- 9.0
Configuration 4
- 14.04
- 16.04
- 18.04
No data.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
kernel
Out of support scope
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
kernel-xen
Out of support scope
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
kernel
Out of support scope
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
kernel
Not affected
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
kernel-alt
Not affected
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
kernel-rt
Not affected
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
kernel
Not affected
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
kernel-rt
Not affected
Red Hat Enterprise MRG 2
kernel-rt
Not affected
| Product | Package | State | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | kernel | Out of support scope | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | kernel-xen | Out of support scope | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | kernel | Out of support scope | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | kernel | Not affected | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | kernel-alt | Not affected | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | kernel-rt | Not affected | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | kernel | Not affected | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | kernel-rt | Not affected | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise MRG 2 | kernel-rt | Not affected | n/a |
No package ranges for this CVE.
Remediation
Red Hat statement
This issue only affects guests running as Xen paravirtualized (PV) guests. Starting with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 onwards running Red Hat Enterprise Linux installations as Xen PV guests is not supported.
Metrics
No CVSS v4.0 score for this CVE.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
1 other source (Red Hat) ▾
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
No CVSS v3.0 score for this CVE.
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
This CVE is not in the KEV list.
No CISA SSVC assessment for this CVE yet.
Estimated probability of exploitation in the wild in the next 30 days (FIRST EPSS). As of Oct 3, 2026.
Score over time
2021–2026- EPSS v1
- EPSS v5
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
Percentile over time
- EPSS v1
- EPSS v5
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
Table of values (9 key points)
Flat stretches are collapsed; showing up to 120 newest points.
| Date | Score | Percentile | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 3, 2026 | 0.41% (0.00409) | 32.88th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Jun 15, 2026 | 0.41% (0.00409) | 32.39th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Mar 17, 2025 | 0.04% (0.00041) | 9.36th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Dec 12, 2024 | 0.04% (0.00042) | 5.07th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 7, 2023 | 0.04% (0.00042) | 5.63th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 6, 2023 | 1.03% (0.01034) | 41.69th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 4, 2022 | 1.03% (0.01034) | 20.32th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 3, 2022 | 1.10% (0.01105) | 29.08th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Apr 14, 2021 | 1.10% (0.01105) | 0.00th | v1 |
References (11)
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/104924 vdb-entryx_refsource_BIDThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1041397 vdb-entryx_refsource_SECTRACKThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2018-14678 Vendor Advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1608559 Issue Tracking
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/10/msg00003.html mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTMailing ListThird Party Advisory
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-14678
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/3931-1/ vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTUThird Party Advisory
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/3931-2/ vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTUThird Party Advisory
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-14678
- https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4308 vendor-advisoryx_refsource_DEBIANThird Party Advisory
- https://xenbits.xen.org/xsa/advisory-274.html x_refsource_MISCMitigationPatchVendor Advisory
| Link | Providers | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/104924 | vdb-entryx_refsource_BIDThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry | |
| http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1041397 | vdb-entryx_refsource_SECTRACKThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry | |
| https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2018-14678 | Vendor Advisory | |
| https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1608559 | Issue Tracking | |
| https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/10/msg00003.html | mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTMailing ListThird Party Advisory | |
| https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-14678 | ||
| https://usn.ubuntu.com/3931-1/ | vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTUThird Party Advisory | |
| https://usn.ubuntu.com/3931-2/ | vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTUThird Party Advisory | |
| https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-14678 | ||
| https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4308 | vendor-advisoryx_refsource_DEBIANThird Party Advisory | |
| https://xenbits.xen.org/xsa/advisory-274.html | x_refsource_MISCMitigationPatchVendor Advisory |
Change history (0)
No recorded changes yet.