CVE-2022-0171: Medium severity Linux Linux kernel vulnerability

Published Jan 10, 2022
·
Updated

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel. The existing KVM SEV API has a vulnerability that allows a non-root (host) user-level application to crash the host kernel by creating a confidential guest VM instance in AMD CPU that supports Secure Encrypted Virtualization (SEV).

Other sources

The existing KVM SEV API has a vulnerability that allows a non-root (host) user-level application to crash the host kernel by creating a confidential guest VM instance in AMD CPU that supports SEV.

Upstream fix:

https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=bb4ce2c65881a2b9bdcd384f54a260a12a89dd91

Red Hat

Affected Software

11 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/kernel<5.18
5.18
Linux Linux kernel<5.18
Linux Linux kernel=5.18
Linux Linux kernel=5.18-rc1
Linux Linux kernel=5.18-rc2
Linux Linux kernel=5.18-rc3
redhat Enterprise Linux=8.0
redhat Enterprise Linux=9.0
Debian Debian Linux=10.0
Debian Debian Linux=11.0
debian/linux
5.10.223-15.10.234-16.1.129-16.1.135-16.12.25-1

Event History

Jan 10, 2022
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·03:25 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Aug 26, 2022
CVE Published
via MITRE·12:00 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·12:00 AM
DescriptionWeakness
Jan 12, 2024
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·12:02 AM
Description
Mar 27, 2025
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·04:25 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2022-0171?

CVE-2022-0171 is a high-severity vulnerability that could allow a non-root user-level application to crash the host kernel.

2

How do I fix CVE-2022-0171?

To fix CVE-2022-0171, users should update their Linux kernel to version 5.18 or later.

3

Which Linux distributions are affected by CVE-2022-0171?

CVE-2022-0171 affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Debian-based distributions with specific kernel versions listed.

4

Can CVE-2022-0171 impact virtualization security?

Yes, CVE-2022-0171 poses a risk to virtualization security as it affects the KVM SEV API used in AMD CPUs.

5

Is there a workaround for CVE-2022-0171?

There are currently no documented workarounds for CVE-2022-0171; the best approach is to apply the kernel update promptly.

Contact

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