CVE-2021-4032

What it is

A vulnerability was found in the Linux kernel's KVM subsystem in arch/x86/kvm/lapic.c kvm_free_lapic when a failure allocation was detected. In this flaw the KVM subsystem may crash the kernel due to mishandling of memory errors that happens during VCPU construction, which allows an attacker with special user privilege to cause a denial of service. This flaw affects kernel versions prior to 5.15 rc7.

At a glance

Exploitability

Can be exploited locally on the machine with an admin-level account. High risk of service disruption.

Exploit odds

0.4% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).

Fix

A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

1. 2022-01-21 19:15 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2. 2026-06-17 04:18 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

• Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
• Exploit odds: 0.4% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
• Severity: 4.4 MEDIUM (CVSS).
• Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published

2022-01-21 19:15 UTC

Last modified

2026-06-17 04:18 UTC

Exploit probability

0.4% · EPSS, next 30 days

Weakness

CWE-459

Record status

Modified

Affected

• Linux Kernel ≤ 5.14
• Linux Kernel 5.15

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 4.4

Attack vector

Local

Complexity

Low

Privileges needed

High

User interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

None

Integrity

None

Availability

High

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2021-4032.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2021-4032. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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