Description
The pmd_none_or_trans_huge_or_clear_bad function in include/asm-generic/pgtable.h in the Linux kernel before 3.13 on NUMA systems does not properly determine whether a Page Middle Directory (PMD) entry is a transparent huge-table entry, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and system crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted MADV_WILLNEED madvise system call that leverages the absence of a page-table lock.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | linux | 3.13.4-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 3.13.4-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | linux | 3.13.4-1 | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 7 | perf +17 | 3.10.0-229.el7 | RHSA-2015:0290 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat MRG 2 | kernel-rt +10 | 1:3.10.0-229.rt56.144.el6rt | RHSA-2015:0694 |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 7 | dtrace-modules-3.8.13-55.1.8.el6uek | 0.4.3-4.el6 | ELSA-2015-3013 |
| Oracle Linux 7 | dtrace-modules-3.8.13-55.1.8.el7uek | 0.4.3-4.el7 | ELSA-2015-3013 |
| Oracle Linux 7 | kernel-uek +5 | 3.8.13-55.1.8.el7uek | ELSA-2015-3013 |
| Oracle Linux 7 | perf +11 | 3.10.0-229.el7 | ELSA-2015-0290 |
Advisories 4
- RHSA-2015:0290 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- RHSA-2015:0694 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel-rt security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Nov 22, 2025
- ELSA-2015-3013 Important: Unbreakable Enterprise kernel security update (Oracle Linux 7) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Mar 13, 2015
- ELSA-2015-0290 Important: kernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update (Oracle Linux 7) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Mar 11, 2015
References
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1198457
- RHSA-2015:0694 vendor-advisory
- RHSA-2015:0290 vendor-advisory
- http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=ee53664bda169f519ce3c6a22d378f0b946c8178
- openSUSE-SU-2015:0714 vendor-advisory
- https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/ee53664bda169f519ce3c6a22d378f0b946c8178