1. Ubuntu Security Notices
  2. USN-5082-1

USN-5082-1: Linux kernel (OEM) vulnerabilities

Publication date

16 September 2021

Overview

Several security issues were fixed in the Linux kernel.

Releases

Packages

Details

Maxim Levitsky and Paolo Bonzini discovered that the KVM hypervisor
implementation for AMD processors in the Linux kernel allowed a guest VM to
disable restrictions on VMLOAD/VMSAVE in a nested guest. An attacker in a
guest VM could use this to read or write portions of the host’s physical
memory. (CVE-2021-3656)

Maxim Levitsky discovered that the KVM hypervisor implementation for AMD
processors in the Linux kernel did not properly prevent a guest VM from
enabling AVIC in nested guest VMs. An attacker in a guest VM could use this
to write to portions of the host’s physical memory. (CVE-2021-3653)

Norbert Slusarek discovered a race condition in the CAN BCM networking
protocol of the Linux kernel leading to multiple use-after-free
vulnerabilities. A local attacker could use this issue to execute arbitrary
code. (

Maxim Levitsky and Paolo Bonzini discovered that the KVM hypervisor
implementation for AMD processors in the Linux kernel allowed a guest VM to
disable restrictions on VMLOAD/VMSAVE in a nested guest. An attacker in a
guest VM could use this to read or write portions of the host’s physical
memory. (CVE-2021-3656)

Maxim Levitsky discovered that the KVM hypervisor implementation for AMD
processors in the Linux kernel did not properly prevent a guest VM from
enabling AVIC in nested guest VMs. An attacker in a guest VM could use this
to write to portions of the host’s physical memory. (CVE-2021-3653)

Norbert Slusarek discovered a race condition in the CAN BCM networking
protocol of the Linux kernel leading to multiple use-after-free
vulnerabilities. A local attacker could use this issue to execute arbitrary
code. (CVE-2021-3609)

Update instructions

After a standard system update you need to reboot your computer to make all the necessary changes.

Learn more about how to get the fixes.

ATTENTION: Due to an unavoidable ABI change the kernel updates have been given a new version number, which requires you to recompile and reinstall all third party kernel modules you might have installed. Unless you manually uninstalled the standard kernel metapackages (e.g. linux-generic, linux-generic-lts-RELEASE, linux-virtual, linux-powerpc), a standard system upgrade will automatically perform this as well.

The problem can be corrected by updating your system to the following package versions:

Ubuntu Release Package Version
20.04 focal linux-image-oem-20.04c –  5.13.0.1012.16
linux-image-5.13.0-1012-oem –  5.13.0-1012.16

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References

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