CVE-2014-8481
The instruction decoder in arch/x86/kvm/emulate.c in the KVM subsystem in the Linux kernel before...
The instruction decoder in arch/x86/kvm/emulate.c in the KVM subsystem in the Linux kernel before 3.18-rc2 does not properly handle invalid instructions, which allows guest OS users to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and host OS crash) via a crafted application that triggers (1) an improperly fetched instruction or (2) an instruction that occupies too many bytes. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2014-8480.
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
The instruction decoder in arch/x86/kvm/emulate.c in the KVM subsystem in the Linux kernel before 3.18-rc2 does not properly handle invalid instructions, which allows guest OS users to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and host OS crash) via a crafted application that triggers (1) an improperly fetched instruction or (2) an instruction that occupies too many bytes. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2014-8480.
- Record
CVE-2014-8481- CVSS 2.0
- 4.9 Medium
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C - Weakness
- CWE-399
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
The instruction decoder in arch/x86/kvm/emulate.c in the KVM subsystem in the Linux kernel before 3.18-rc2 does not properly handle invalid instructions, which allows guest OS users to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and host OS crash) via a crafted application that triggers (1) an improperly fetched instruction or (2) an instruction that occupies too many bytes. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2014-8480.
- Record
CVE-2014-8481- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2014-8318 No score
The instruction decoder in arch/x86/kvm/emulate.c in the KVM subsystem in the Linux kernel before 3.18-rc2 does not properly handle invalid instructions, which allows guest OS users to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and host OS crash) via a crafted application that triggers (1) an improperly fetched instruction or (2) an instruction that occupies too many bytes. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2014-8480.
- Record
EUVD-2014-8318- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-2m72-x5wj-734p No score
The instruction decoder in arch/x86/kvm/emulate.c in the KVM subsystem in the Linux kernel before...
The instruction decoder in arch/x86/kvm/emulate.c in the KVM subsystem in the Linux kernel before 3.18-rc2 does not properly handle invalid instructions, which allows guest OS users to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and host OS crash) via a crafted application that triggers (1) an improperly fetched instruction or (2) an instruction that occupies too many bytes. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2014-8480.
- Record
GHSA-2m72-x5wj-734p- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVBELL-CVE-2014-8481
CVE-2014-8481 does not affect BellSoft software
- Record
BELL-CVE-2014-8481- CVSS 2.0
- 4.9 Medium
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2014-8481 No score
The instruction decoder in arch/x86/kvm/emulate.c in the KVM subsystem in the Linux kernel before 3.18-rc2 does not properly handle invalid instructions, which allows guest OS users to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and host OS crash) via a crafted application that triggers (1) an improperly fetched instruction or (2) an instruction that occupies too many bytes. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2014-8480.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2014-8481- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| affected, facts | ||
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2014-8481 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 4.9) in Linux Kernel, published November 10, 2014. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.58%, the 47th percentile. No source names a fixed version.
References
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1156615
github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/a430c9166312e1aa3d80bce32374233bdbfeba32
git.kernel.org?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=a430c9166312e1aa3d80bce32374233bdbfeba32
secunia.com/advisories/62042
openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/10/23/7
thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.emulators.kvm.devel/128427