CVE-2019-18422

Name: CVE-2019-18422
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2019-10-31T14:15:10.79+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

HIGHCVSS 8.8/10EPSS 1.82%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2019-18422 is a high-severity vulnerability rated 8.8/10 on the CVSS scale. An issue was discovered in Xen through 4.12.x allowing ARM guest OS users to cause a denial of service or gain privileges by leveraging the erroneous enabling of interrupts. Interrupts are unconditionally unmasked in exception handlers. EPSS estimates a 1.82% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

An issue was discovered in Xen through 4.12.x allowing ARM guest OS users to cause a denial of service or gain privileges by leveraging the erroneous enabling of interrupts. Interrupts are unconditionally unmasked in exception handlers. When an exception occurs on an ARM system which is handled without changing processor level, some interrupts are unconditionally enabled during exception entry. So exceptions which occur when interrupts are masked will effectively unmask the interrupts. A malicious guest might contrive to arrange for critical Xen code to run with interrupts erroneously enabled. This could lead to data corruption, denial of service, or possibly even privilege escalation. However a precise attack technique has not been identified.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

8.8/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Probability

1.82%

76.0th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-732

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Xen	Xen	<= 4.12.1
Debian	Debian Linux	9.0
Debian	Debian Linux	10.0
Fedoraproject	Fedora	29
Fedoraproject	Fedora	30
Fedoraproject	Fedora	31

References

http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/10/31/5Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory
http://xenbits.xen.org/xsa/advisory-303.htmlPatch, Vendor Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2BQKX7M2RHCWDBKNPX4KEBI3MJIH6AYZ/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/I5WWPW4BSZDDW7VHU427XTVXV7ROOFFW/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/IZYATWNUGHRBG6I3TC24YHP5Y3J7I6KH/
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2020/Jan/21Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4602Third Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/10/31/5Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory
http://xenbits.xen.org/xsa/advisory-303.htmlPatch, Vendor Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2BQKX7M2RHCWDBKNPX4KEBI3MJIH6AYZ/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/I5WWPW4BSZDDW7VHU427XTVXV7ROOFFW/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/IZYATWNUGHRBG6I3TC24YHP5Y3J7I6KH/
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2020/Jan/21Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4602Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Oct 31, 2019
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-18422?

How severe is CVE-2019-18422?

CVE-2019-18422 has a CVSS score of 8.8/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 1.82% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2019-18422?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2019-18422?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST