CVE-2015-3290

Severity: high (CVSS 7.2 v2.0)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 1.1% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: yes
Published: 2015-08-31 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-264

Description

arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S in the Linux kernel before 4.1.6 on the x86_64 platform improperly relies on espfix64 during nested NMI processing, which allows local users to gain privileges by triggering an NMI within a certain instruction window.

Affected products

Linux kernel: before 3.12.47; from 3.13 before 3.14.54; from 3.15 before 3.16.35; from 3.17 before 3.18.22; from 3.19 before 4.1.6 — fixed in 3.12.47, 3.14.54, 3.16.35, 3.18.22, 4.1.6

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 3.12.47, 3.14.54, 3.16.35, 3.18.22. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=9b6e6a8334d56354853f9c255d1395c2ba570e0a
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2015-08/msg00011.html
http://www.debian.org/security/2015/dsa-3313
http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.1.6
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/07/22/7
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/08/04/8
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/76004
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2687-1
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2688-1
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2689-1
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2690-1
http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2691-1

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