CVE-2021-26932
NVD-CWE-noinfoPublished: February 17, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Official Description
An issue was discovered in the Linux kernel 3.2 through 5.10.16, as used by Xen. Grant mapping operations often occur in batch hypercalls, where a number of operations are done in a single hypercall, the success or failure of each one is reported to the backend driver, and the backend driver then loops over the results, performing follow-up actions based on the success or failure of each operation. Unfortunately, when running in PV mode, the Linux backend drivers mishandle this: Some errors are ignored, effectively implying their success from the success of related batch elements. In other cases, errors resulting from one batch element lead to further batch elements not being inspected, and hence successful ones to not be possible to properly unmap upon error recovery. Only systems with Linux backends running in PV mode are vulnerable. Linux backends run in HVM / PVH modes are not vulnerable. This affects arch/*/xen/p2m.c and drivers/xen/gntdev.c.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2021-26932 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.
Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
A successful exploit results in availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 5.5.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
Official Patches & Advisories
All References (14)
Quick Facts
Related CVEs (NVD-CWE-noinfo)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2021-26932 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts