Vulnerability Description
A statement in the System Programming Guide of the Intel 64 and IA-32 Architectures Software Developer's Manual (SDM) was mishandled in the development of some or all operating-system kernels, resulting in unexpected behavior for #DB exceptions that are deferred by MOV SS or POP SS, as demonstrated by (for example) privilege escalation in Windows, macOS, some Xen configurations, or FreeBSD, or a Linux kernel crash. The MOV to SS and POP SS instructions inhibit interrupts (including NMIs), data breakpoints, and single step trap exceptions until the instruction boundary following the next instruction (SDM Vol. 3A; section 6.8.3). (The inhibited data breakpoints are those on memory accessed by the MOV to SS or POP to SS instruction itself.) Note that debug exceptions are not inhibited by the interrupt enable (EFLAGS.IF) system flag (SDM Vol. 3A; section 2.3). If the instruction following the MOV to SS or POP to SS instruction is an instruction like SYSCALL, SYSENTER, INT 3, etc. that transfers control to the operating system at CPL < 3, the debug exception is delivered after the transfer to CPL < 3 is complete. OS kernels may not expect this order of events and may therefore experience unexpected behavior when it occurs.
CVSS Score
HIGH
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Debian | Debian Linux | 7.0 |
| Canonical | Ubuntu Linux | 14.04 |
| Redhat | Enterprise Linux Server | 7.0 |
| Redhat | Enterprise Linux Workstation | 7.0 |
| Redhat | Enterprise Virtualization Manager | 3.0 |
| Citrix | Xenserver | 6.0.2 |
| Synology | Skynas | - |
| Synology | Diskstation Manager | 5.2 |
| Apple | Mac Os X | < 10.13.4 |
| Xen | Xen | - |
| Freebsd | Freebsd | >= 11.0, < 11.1 |
Related Weaknesses (CWE)
References
- http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=d8ba61PatchThird Party Advisory
- http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2018/05/08/1Mailing ListThird Party Advisory
- http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2018/05/08/4Mailing ListThird Party Advisory
- http://www.huawei.com/en/psirt/security-advisories/huawei-sa-20190921-01-debug-e
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/104071Third Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1040744Third Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1040849Third Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1040861Third Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1040866Third Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1040882Third Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1318Third Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1319Third Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1345Third Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1346Third Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1347Third Party Advisory
FAQ
What is CVE-2018-8897?
CVE-2018-8897 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). A statement in the System Programming Guide of the Intel 64 and IA-32 Architectures Software Developer's Manual (SDM) was mishandled in the development of some or all operating-system kernels, resulti...
How severe is CVE-2018-8897?
CVE-2018-8897 has been rated HIGH with a CVSS base score of 7.8/10. Review the CVSS metrics above for detailed severity breakdown.
Is there a patch for CVE-2018-8897?
Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Affected products include: Debian Debian Linux, Canonical Ubuntu Linux, Redhat Enterprise Linux Server, Redhat Enterprise Linux Workstation, Redhat Enterprise Virtualization Manager.