x86/kvm: Disable kvmclock on all CPUs on shutdown
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: x86/kvm: Disable kvmclock on all CPUs on shutdown Currenly, we disable kvmclock from machine_shutdown() hook and this only happens for boot CPU. We need to disable it for all CPUs to guard against memory corruption e.g. on restore from hibernate. Note, writing '0' to kvmclock MSR doesn't clear memory location, it just prevents hypervisor from updating the location so for the short while after write and while CPU is still alive, the clock remains usable and correct so we don't need to switch to some other clocksource.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 2.6.26 and later | 5.4.125, 5.10.43, 5.12.10, 5.13 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 2.6.26 and later Fixed in 5.4.125, 5.10.43, 5.12.10, 5.13 Patch available CNA
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.4.125, 5.10.43, 5.12.10, 5.13
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
Not affected: 2 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2021-47110
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-hx76-chvw-qr8x
References
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2021-47110 · CVE Program
- CVE-2021-47110 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-hx76-chvw-qr8x · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2021-47110 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences