CVE-2011-2521: Linux Kernel

Medium severity, CVSS 4.9. EPSS: 0.4% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

The x86_assign_hw_event function in arch/x86/kernel/cpu/perf_event.c in the Performance Events subsystem in the Linux kernel before 2.6.39 does not properly calculate counter values, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (panic) via the perf program.

Affected products

• Linux Linux Kernel: before 2.6.39 (fixed in 2.6.39)

Published 2012-05-24. Last modified 2026-06-16.