FreeBSD VuXML: Documenting security issues in FreeBSD and the FreeBSD Ports Collection

xen-kernel -- x86 software guest page walk PS bit handling flaw

Affected packages
xen-kernel < 4.7.0

Details

VuXML ID e43b210a-4212-11e6-942d-bc5ff45d0f28
Discovery 2016-05-17
Entry 2016-07-04

The Xen Project reports:

The Page Size (PS) page table entry bit exists at all page table levels other than L1. Its meaning is reserved in L4, and conditionally reserved in L3 and L2 (depending on hardware capabilities). The software page table walker in the hypervisor, however, so far ignored that bit in L4 and (on respective hardware) L3 entries, resulting in pages to be treated as page tables which the guest OS may not have designated as such. If the page in question is writable by an unprivileged user, then that user will be able to map arbitrary guest memory.

On vulnerable OSes, guest user mode code may be able to establish mappings of arbitrary memory inside the guest, allowing it to elevate its privileges inside the guest.

References

CVE Name CVE-2016-4480
URL http://xenbits.xen.org/xsa/advisory-176.html