Ubuntu LinuxOperating system · Canonical
CVE-2020-8832
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe fix for the Linux kernel in Ubuntu 18.04 LTS for CVE-2019-14615 ("The Linux kernel did not properly clear data structures on context switches for certain Intel graphics processors.") was discovered to be incomplete, meaning that in versions of the kernel before 4.15.0-91.92, an attacker could use this vulnerability to expose sensitive information.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceAn incomplete fix for CVE-2019-14615 in Linux kernel versions before 4.15.0-91.92 allows attackers to expose sensitive information through improper clearing of data structures on context switches for certain Intel graphics processors.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
= 18.04= 14.04= 16.04all versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check the running Linux kernel versionRun 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' to obtain the kernel versionAffected if The kernel version is earlier than 4.15.0-91.92 (for Ubuntu 18.04) or earlier than the fixed kernel version for Ubuntu 14.04/16.04
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Verify Intel GPU driver is loadedRun 'lsmod | grep i915' to check if the Intel i915 graphics driver is loadedAffected if The i915 driver module is loaded, indicating Intel integrated graphics are in use
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Confirm Ubuntu kernel package versionRun 'dpkg -l | grep linux-image' or check 'apt list --installed | grep linux-image' to list installed kernel packagesAffected if The installed kernel package version is lower than 4.15.0-91 (for 18.04) or below the corresponding security fix for 14.04/16.04
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Check for NetApp system-specific kernelFor NetApp systems, run 'uname -a' and check the underlying OS kernel version; for NetApp firmware products, verify the OS version through the system interfaceAffected if The system runs an affected Linux kernel version before 4.15.0-91.92 on any listed NetApp product that includes the vulnerable kernel
You are affected if your system runs a Linux kernel version before 4.15.0-91.92 and uses Intel integrated graphics (i915 driver), or if your Ubuntu/NetApp product ships with an unpatched kernel containing the incomplete fix for CVE-2019-14615.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpdate the Linux kernel to version 4.15.0-91.92 or later in Ubuntu 18.04 LTS to address the incomplete fix.
Fix this in Ubuntu Linux
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,144.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-8832 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-8832 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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