How severe is CVE-2021-38198?

CVE-2021-38198 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-38198 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (37th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-38198?

CVE-2021-38198 primarily affects Linux Linux Kernel. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-38198?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2021-38198 published?

CVE-2021-38198 was published on 2021-08-08 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-38198

CVE-2021-38198 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
CVSS v2: 2.1
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (37th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Affected product: Linux Linux Kernel
Published: 2021-08-08
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

arch/x86/kvm/mmu/paging_tmpl.h in the Linux kernel before 5.12.11 incorrectly computes the access permissions of a shadow page, leading to a missing guest protection page fault.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-38198?: arch/x86/kvm/mmu/paging_tmpl.h in the Linux kernel before 5.12.11 incorrectly computes the access permissions of a shadow page, leading to a missing guest protection page fault.
How severe is CVE-2021-38198?: CVE-2021-38198 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-38198 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (37th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-38198?: CVE-2021-38198 primarily affects Linux Linux Kernel. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-38198?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-38198 published?: CVE-2021-38198 was published on 2021-08-08 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Linux Linux Kernel

CVE-2023-2163 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Incorrect verifier pruning in BPF in Linux Kernel >=5.4 leads to unsafe code paths being incorrectly marked as safe,…
CVE-2015-8104 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The KVM subsystem in the Linux kernel through 4.2.6, and Xen 4.3.x through 4.6.x, allows guest OS users to cause a…
CVE-2015-1421 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Use-after-free vulnerability in the sctp_assoc_update function in net/sctp/associola.c in the Linux kernel before…
CVE-2014-2523 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_proto_dccp.c in the Linux kernel through 3.13.6 uses a DCCP header pointer incorrectly,…
CVE-2010-2495 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The pppol2tp_xmit function in drivers/net/pppol2tp.c in the L2TP implementation in the Linux kernel before 2.6.34 does…
CVE-2010-2521 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Multiple buffer overflows in fs/nfsd/nfs4xdr.c in the XDR implementation in the NFS server in the Linux kernel before…

All CVEs affecting Linux Linux Kernel →