In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
x86/mce: Work around an erratum on fast string copy instructions
A rare kernel panic scenario can happen when the following conditions
are met due to an erratum on fast string copy instructions:
1) An uncorrected error.
2) That error must be in first cache line of a page.
3) Kernel must execute page_copy from the page immediately before that
page.
The fast string copy instructions ("REP; MOVS*") could consume an
uncorrectable memory error in the cache line _right after_ the desired
region to copy and raise an MCE.
Bit 0 of MSR_IA32_MISC_ENABLE can be cleared to disable fast string
copy and will avoid such spurious machine checks. However, that is less
preferable due to the permanent performance impact. Considering memory
poison is rare, it's desirable to keep fast string copy enabled until an
MCE is seen.
Intel has confirmed the following:
- The CPU erratum of fast string copy only applies to Skylake,
Cascade Lake and Cooper Lake generations.
Directly return from the MCE handler:
- Will result in complete execution of the "REP; MOVS*" with no data
loss or corruption.
- Will not result in another MCE firing on the next poisoned cache line
due to "REP; MOVS*".
- Will resume execution from a correct point in code.
- Will result in the same instruction that triggered the MCE firing a
second MCE immediately for any other software recoverable data fetch
errors.
- Is not safe without disabling the fast string copy, as the next fast
string copy of the same buffer on the same CPU would result in a PANIC
MCE.
This should mitigate the erratum completely with the only caveat that
the fast string copy is disabled on the affected hyper thread thus
performance degradation.
This is still better than the OS crashing on MCEs raised on an
irrelevant process due to "REP; MOVS*' accesses in a kernel context,
e.g., copy_page.
Injected errors on 1st cache line of 8 anonymous pages of process
'proc1' and observed MCE consumption from 'proc2' with no panic
(directly returned).
Without the fix, the host panicked within a few minutes on a
random 'proc2' process due to kernel access from copy_page.
[ bp: Fix comment style + touch ups, zap an unlikely(), improve the
quirk function's readability. ]
What the EG score is made of (scorer v4.0: the three questions the 0–10 score mixes, published apart · methodology)
The EG score (5.5): severity, escalated by confirmed exploitation. This CVE's 5.5 is its impact severity (EG Severity), not escalated.
- EG Severity
- 5.5 MEDIUMCVSS-B, impact only: no KEV listing, EPSS or EG-KEV tier raises it.GitHub Security Advisory CVSS
- EG Likelihood
- 0.2% within 30 daysSource: FIRST EPSS (model v2026.06.15, score date 2026-10-25). FIRST's exploitation probability, not an EchelonGraph model.
- Confirmed exploitation
- None on record (CISA KEV, EG-KEV Tier 1)Reported apart from the likelihood: an observed fact, not a probability.
- EG Priority
- SSVC Track at medium mission impactTrack at low or medium mission impact; Track* at high (mission-essential systems).CISA BOD 26-04: 14 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.Each input and its source, and whom BOD 26-04 binds: the SSVC and BOD 26-04 blocks below.
SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph)Track at low or medium mission impact; Track* at high (mission-essential systems).
A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines.
Exploitation none (no CISA value, KEV listing or exploit code on record) · Automatable no (CISA's BOD 26-04 default) · Technical impact total (CISA's BOD 26-04 default). EchelonGraph holds no SSVC assessment of this CVE from CISA: none of these inputs is from Vulnrichment. EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE. Mission impact is CISA's Mission & Well-being decision point, and only you can judge it. CISA's table makes it high when Mission Prevalence is Essential — the vulnerable component "directly provides capabilities that constitute at least one MEF for at least one entity" (MEF: mission essential function) — or when Public Well-Being Impact is Irreversible: "multiple fatalities are likely", the cyber-physical system "is likely lost or destroyed", "extreme or serious externalities" are imposed on other parties, or social systems such as elections or the financial grid "are destabilized and potentially collapse". CISA's decision table
BOD 26-04 (CISA's remediation timeline, Table 1)14 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.
The score's inputs: In CISA KEV no (CISA's KEV catalog) · Automatable no (CISA's BOD 26-04 default) · Technical impact total (CISA's BOD 26-04 default). Where an input reads “CISA's BOD 26-04 default”, no one has published it for this CVE, and CISA's implementation guidance says: “If “Automatable” and “Technical Impact” information items about a CVE ID are not available and the CVE ID is not in the KEV Catalog, CISA will treat its values as “no” and “total,” respectively, until CISA or a third party provides metadata about the CVE ID. CISA will always provide the Vulnrichment data for a CVE ID listed in the KEV Catalog.” Whether your system is publicly exposed is yours to answer. BOD 26-04 binds US Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies; for anyone else it is CISA's published timeline, a reference rather than an obligation. The directive · how EchelonGraph applies it