CVE-2026-23553
Last modified
CVE-2026-23553 is a low-severity vulnerability rated 2.9/10 on the CVSS scale. In the context switch logic Xen attempts to skip an IBPB in the case of a vCPU returning to a CPU on which it was the previous vCPU to run. While safe for Xen's isolation between vCPUs, this prevents the guest kernel correctly isolating between tasks. Consider: 1) vCPU runs on CPU A, running task 1. 2) vCPU moves to CPU B, idle gets scheduled on A. EPSS estimates a 0.13% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.
Description
In the context switch logic Xen attempts to skip an IBPB in the case of a vCPU returning to a CPU on which it was the previous vCPU to run. While safe for Xen's isolation between vCPUs, this prevents the guest kernel correctly isolating between tasks. Consider: 1) vCPU runs on CPU A, running task 1. 2) vCPU moves to CPU B, idle gets scheduled on A. Xen skips IBPB. 3) On CPU B, guest kernel switches from task 1 to 2, issuing IBPB. 4) vCPU moves back to CPU A. Xen skips IBPB again. Now, task 2 is running on CPU A with task 1's training still in the BTB.
Metrics
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Weakness Enumeration
Affected Software
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Xen | Xen | >= 4.6.0 |
References
- https://xenbits.xenproject.org/xsa/advisory-479.htmlMitigation, Patch, Vendor Advisory
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/01/27/3Mailing List, Mitigation, Patch, Third Party Advisory
- http://xenbits.xen.org/xsa/advisory-479.htmlMitigation, Patch, Vendor Advisory
Timeline
- Published
- Last Modified
- Status
- Analyzed
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