diff --git a/src/tools/kata-ctl/src/arch/x86_64/mod.rs b/src/tools/kata-ctl/src/arch/x86_64/mod.rs
index 2f27dc2a44..5618a44512 100644
--- a/src/tools/kata-ctl/src/arch/x86_64/mod.rs
+++ b/src/tools/kata-ctl/src/arch/x86_64/mod.rs
@@ -7,11 +7,47 @@
 pub use arch_specific::*;
 
 mod arch_specific {
-    use anyhow::Result;
+    use anyhow::{anyhow, Result};
+    use crate::check;
+
+    const PROC_CPUINFO: &str = "/proc/cpuinfo";
+    const CPUINFO_DELIMITER: &str = "\nprocessor";
+    const CPUINFO_FLAGS_TAG: &str = "flags";
+    const CPU_FLAGS_INTEL: &'static [&'static str] = &["lm", "sse4_1", "vmx"];
+    const CPU_ATTRIBS_INTEL: &'static [&'static str] = &["GenuineIntel"];
+
+    // check cpu
+    fn check_cpu() -> Result<()> {
+        println!("INFO: check CPU: x86_64");
+
+        let cpu_info = check::get_single_cpu_info(PROC_CPUINFO, CPUINFO_DELIMITER)?;
+
+        let cpu_flags = check::get_cpu_flags(&cpu_info, CPUINFO_FLAGS_TAG)
+            .map_err(|e| anyhow!("Error parsing CPU flags, file {:?}, {:?}", PROC_CPUINFO, e))?;
+
+        // perform checks
+        // TODO: Perform checks based on hypervisor type
+        // TODO: Add more information to output (see kata-check in go tool); adjust formatting
+        let missing_cpu_attributes = check::check_cpu_attribs(&cpu_info, CPU_ATTRIBS_INTEL)?;
+        if missing_cpu_attributes.len() > 0 {
+            eprintln!("WARNING: Missing CPU attributes {:?}", missing_cpu_attributes);
+        }
+        let missing_cpu_flags = check::check_cpu_flags(&cpu_flags, CPU_FLAGS_INTEL)?;
+        if missing_cpu_flags.len() > 0 {
+            eprintln!("WARNING: Missing CPU flags {:?}", missing_cpu_flags);
+        }
+
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
 
     pub fn check(_global_args: clap::ArgMatches) -> Result<()> {
         println!("INFO: check: x86_64");
 
+        let _cpu_result = check_cpu();
+
+        // TODO: collect outcome of tests to determine if checks pass or not
+
         Ok(())
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/tools/kata-ctl/src/check.rs b/src/tools/kata-ctl/src/check.rs
index be39e31e06..9317b903a1 100644
--- a/src/tools/kata-ctl/src/check.rs
+++ b/src/tools/kata-ctl/src/check.rs
@@ -5,8 +5,109 @@
 
 // Contains checks that are not architecture-specific
 
-use anyhow::{Result};
+use anyhow::{anyhow, Result};
+use std::fs;
+
+fn get_cpu_info(cpu_info_file: &str) -> Result<String> {
+    let contents = fs::read_to_string(cpu_info_file)?;
+    Ok(contents)
+}
+
+// get_single_cpu_info returns the contents of the first cpu from
+// the specified cpuinfo file by parsing based on a specified delimiter
+pub fn get_single_cpu_info(cpu_info_file: &str, substring: &str) -> Result<String> {
+    let contents = get_cpu_info(cpu_info_file)?; 
+
+    if contents.is_empty() {
+        return Err(anyhow!("cpu_info string is empty"))?;
+    }
+
+    let subcontents: Vec<&str> = contents.split(substring).collect();
+    let result = subcontents
+        .first()
+        .ok_or("error splitting contents of cpuinfo")
+        .map_err(|e| anyhow!(e))?
+        .to_string();
+
+    Ok(result)
+}
+
+// get_cpu_flags returns a string of cpu flags from cpuinfo, passed in
+// as a string
+pub fn get_cpu_flags(cpu_info: &str, cpu_flags_tag: &str) -> Result<String> {
+    if cpu_info.is_empty() {
+        return Err(anyhow!("cpu_info string is empty"))?;
+    }
+
+    let subcontents: Vec<&str> = cpu_info.split("\n").collect();
+    for line in subcontents {
+        if line.starts_with(cpu_flags_tag) {
+            let line_data: Vec<&str> = line.split(":").collect();
+            let flags = line_data
+                .last()
+                .ok_or("error splitting flags in cpuinfo")
+                .map_err(|e| anyhow!(e))?
+                .to_string();
+            return Ok(flags);
+        }
+    }
+
+    Ok("".to_string())
+}
+
+// get_missing_strings searches for required (strings) in data and returns
+// a vector containing the missing strings
+fn get_missing_strings(data: &str, required: &'static [&'static str]) -> Result<Vec<String>> {
+    let data_vec: Vec <&str> = data.split_whitespace().collect();
+
+    let mut missing: Vec <String>  = Vec::new();
+
+    for item in required {
+        if !data_vec.contains(&item) {
+            missing.push(item.to_string());
+        }
+    }
+
+    Ok(missing)
+}
+
+pub fn check_cpu_flags(retrieved_flags: &str, required_flags: &'static [&'static str]) -> Result<Vec<String>> {
+    let missing_flags = get_missing_strings(retrieved_flags, required_flags)?;
+
+    Ok(missing_flags)
+}
+
+pub fn check_cpu_attribs(cpu_info: &str, required_attribs: &'static [&'static str]) -> Result<Vec<String>> {
+    let mut cpu_info_processed = cpu_info.replace("\t", "");
+    cpu_info_processed = cpu_info_processed.replace("\n", " ");
+
+    let missing_attribs = get_missing_strings(&cpu_info_processed, required_attribs)?;
+    Ok(missing_attribs)
+}
 
 pub fn run_network_checks() -> Result<()> {
     unimplemented!("Tests using network checks not implemented");
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_get_cpu_info_empty_input() {
+        let expected = "No such file or directory (os error 2)";
+        let actual = get_cpu_info("").err().unwrap().to_string();
+        assert_eq!(expected, actual);
+
+        let actual = get_single_cpu_info("", "\nprocessor").err().unwrap().to_string();
+        assert_eq!(expected, actual);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_get_cpu_flags_empty_input() {
+        let expected = "cpu_info string is empty";
+        let actual = get_cpu_flags("", "").err().unwrap().to_string();
+        assert_eq!(expected, actual);
+    }
+}
+