CVE-2018-12904
In arch/x86/kvm/vmx.c in the Linux kernel before 4.17.2, when nested virtualization is used, local attackers could cause L1 KVM guests to VMEXIT, potentially allowing privilege escalations and denial of service attacks due to lack of checking of CPL.
Does this matter?
A public exploit is published in Exploit-DB (verified), so the technical barrier is gone even though the severity is medium and EPSS is 1.2%. Treat it as high on anything reachable from the internet.
Description
In arch/x86/kvm/vmx.c in the Linux kernel before 4.17.2, when nested virtualization is used, local attackers could cause L1 KVM guests to VMEXIT, potentially allowing privilege escalations and denial of service attacks due to lack of checking of CPL.
- CVSS 3.0
- 4.9 MEDIUMCVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
- EPSS
- 1.18% probability · 68th percentile
- Public exploits
- 1 in Exploit-DB · verified · first 25 June 2018
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Affected
- linux/linux kernel · canonical/ubuntu linux
- Source
- cve@mitre.org
EPSS 1.2% since 27 October 2026; no change recorded yet. Points are recorded when the score first appears and whenever it moves by a percentage point or more.
Public exploits (1)
Entries in Exploit-DB that cite this CVE. Links go to the Exploit-DB page and to the file in the public repository; nothing is hosted here. A verified tick means the Exploit-DB team confirmed the exploit works against the stated version.
References
- http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=727ba748e110b4de50d142edca9d6a9b7e6111d8Patch, Vendor Advisory
- https://bugs.chromium.org/p/project-zero/issues/detail?id=1589Exploit, Third Party Advisory
- https://cdn.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.17.2Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
- https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/727ba748e110b4de50d142edca9d6a9b7e6111d8Patch, Third Party Advisory
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/3752-1/Third Party Advisory
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/3752-2/Third Party Advisory
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/3752-3/Third Party Advisory
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/44944/Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=727ba748e110b4de50d142edca9d6a9b7e6111d8Patch, Vendor Advisory
- https://bugs.chromium.org/p/project-zero/issues/detail?id=1589Exploit, Third Party Advisory
- https://cdn.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.17.2Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
- https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/727ba748e110b4de50d142edca9d6a9b7e6111d8Patch, Third Party Advisory
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/3752-1/Third Party Advisory
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/3752-2/Third Party Advisory
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/3752-3/Third Party Advisory
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/44944/Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.