CVE-2021-28690 Security feature bypass in xen

Medium 6.5 Published 29 Jun 2021 Updated 3 Aug 2024

Attackers can bypass TSX Async Abort mitigations after S3 suspend if TSX is disabled via non-default settings, exposing systems to speculative execution attacks.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Any signed-in user
Attackable: Over the internet
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: Available

What is CVE-2021-28690?

CVE-2021-28690 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Xen Xen, published on 29 Jun 2021. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

x86: TSX Async Abort protections not restored after S3 This issue relates to the TSX Async Abort speculative security vulnerability. Please see https://xenbits.xen.org/xsa/advisory-305.html for details. Mitigating TAA by disabling TSX (the default and preferred option) requires selecting a non-default setting in MSR_TSX_CTRL. This setting isn't restored after S3 suspend.

Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-28690?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Xen Xen.

How do I fix CVE-2021-28690?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Is CVE-2021-28690 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-28690 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Xen Xen vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as ALPINE-CVE-2021-28690, DEBIAN-CVE-2021-28690, GHSA-7qwx-5h4j-5c9w, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-28690.