CVE-2013-2140: The dispatch_discard_io function in drivers/block/xen-blkback/blkback.c in the Xen blkback implementation i...

Security readout for executives and security teams

This issue affects Linux Xen block backend handling for virtual machines. A guest user could trigger discard/TRIM or SCSI UNMAP behavior against a read-only virtual disk that supports those features, causing denial of service through data loss. The main business concern is integrity loss in Xen environments, especially where untrusted guests share infrastructure. Exposure appears limited to Xen hosts using affected Linux kernel blkback code with guest-accessible read-only disks that support discard/TRIM or SCSI UNMAP. Non-Xen systems, non-blkback storage paths, or disks without these features are not indicated by the provided sources. Prioritize remediation for shared or multi-tenant Xen platforms and systems using read-only shared virtual disks. The issue is older and not KEV-listed in the bundle, but potential data loss makes it operationally important where the affected configuration exists. Mitigation focus: Identify Xen hosts running Linux kernel versions before 3.10.5 or vendor backports lacking the fix.; Apply vendor kernel updates from Canonical, distribution advisories, or kernels containing the referenced upstream commit.; Review Xen guest disk configurations for read-only disks exposing discard/TRIM or SCSI UNMAP..

Prepared

Jun 14, 2026, 15:32 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.