Ubuntu Security Notice USN-2979-2

Ubuntu Security Notice 2979-2 – USN-2979-1 fixed vulnerabilities in the Linux kernel for Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. This update provides the corresponding updates for the Linux Hardware Enablement (HWE) kernel from Ubuntu 16.04 LTS for Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. David Matlack discovered that the Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) implementation in the Linux kernel did not properly restrict variable Memory Type Range Registers (MTRR) in KVM guests. A privileged user in a guest VM could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash) in the host, expose sensitive information from the host, or possibly gain administrative privileges in the host. Various other issues were also addressed.