# CVE-2019-3016: Race condition in linux kernel

> A race condition in Linux KVM with PV TLB enabled allows guest processes to read memory from other processes in the same guest.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 31 Jan 2020
- **Updated:** 30 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** AZL-34852, AZL-6519, DEBIAN-CVE-2019-3016, GHSA-g7mw-cr59-r458, UBUNTU-CVE-2019-3016

## What is CVE-2019-3016?

CVE-2019-3016 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 31 Jan 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In a Linux KVM guest that has PV TLB enabled, a process in the guest kernel may be able to read memory locations from another process in the same guest. This problem is limit to the host running linux kernel 4.10 with a guest running linux kernel 4.16 or later. The problem mainly affects AMD processors but Intel CPUs cannot be ruled out.

Weakness: CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization), CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-3016?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-3016?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2019-3016 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-3016 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-3016 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-3016 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 31 Jan 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-3016 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-3016/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-3016/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-3016
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-3016
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-3016

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-3016/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.