CVE-2020-10766

Name: CVE-2020-10766
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2020-09-15T23:15:12.143+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 5.5/10EPSS 0.46%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2020-10766 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.5/10 on the CVSS scale. A logic bug flaw was found in Linux kernel before 5.8-rc1 in the implementation of SSBD. A bug in the logic handling allows an attacker with a local account to disable SSBD protection during a context switch when additional speculative execution mitigations are in place. EPSS estimates a 0.46% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

A logic bug flaw was found in Linux kernel before 5.8-rc1 in the implementation of SSBD. A bug in the logic handling allows an attacker with a local account to disable SSBD protection during a context switch when additional speculative execution mitigations are in place. This issue was introduced when the per task/process conditional STIPB switching was added on top of the existing SSBD switching. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to confidentiality.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.5/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.46%

36.7th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-440

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux Kernel	< 5.8.0

References

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2020-10766Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=dbbe2ad02e9df26e372f38cc3e70dab9222c832ePatch, Vendor Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2020-10766Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=dbbe2ad02e9df26e372f38cc3e70dab9222c832ePatch, Vendor Advisory

Timeline

Published: Sep 15, 2020
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-10766?

How severe is CVE-2020-10766?

CVE-2020-10766 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.46% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2020-10766?

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-2020-10766?

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

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST