RHSA-2018:2228: Important: qemu-kvm-rhev security update
KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a full virtualization solution for Linux on a variety of architectures. The qemu-kvm-rhev packages provide the user-space component for running virtual machines that use KVM in environments managed by Red Hat products.Security Fix(es): An industry-wide issue was found in the way many modern microprocessor designs have implemented speculative execution of Load & Store instructions (a commonly used performance optimization). It relies on the presence of a precisely-defined instruction sequence in the privileged code as well as the fact that memory read from address to which a recent memory write has occurred may see an older value and subsequently cause an update into the microprocessor's data cache even for speculatively executed instructions that never actually commit (retire). As a result, an unprivileged attacker could use this flaw to read privileged memory by conducting targeted cache side-channel attacks. (CVE-2018-3639) Red Hat would like to thank Ken Johnson (Microsoft Security Response Center) and Jann Horn (Google Project Zero) for reporting this issue.Note: This is the qemu-kvm-rhev side of the CVE-2018-3639 mitigation that includes support for guests running on hosts with AMD processors.For more details about the security issue(s), including the impact, a CVSS score, and other related information, refer to the CVE page(s) listed in the References section.
Affected Software
Remediation
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of RHSA-2018:2228?
RHSA-2018:2228 is classified as an important security vulnerability.
How do I fix RHSA-2018:2228?
To resolve RHSA-2018:2228, update the qemu-kvm-rhev packages to version 2.10.0-21.el7_5.4 or later.
Which packages are affected by RHSA-2018:2228?
Affected packages include qemu-kvm-rhev, qemu-img-rhev, and qemu-kvm-common-rhev among others.
What is qemu-kvm used for in relation to RHSA-2018:2228?
QEMU-KVM is a virtualization solution for running virtual machines on Linux, which is impacted by vulnerability RHSA-2018:2228.
Can RHSA-2018:2228 affect performance?
Yes, RHSA-2018:2228 could potentially impact the performance and security of virtual machines if not addressed.