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Medium · 5.5 CVE-2021-46961 EUVD-2021-33609GHSA-p2qc-mv5g-9gcr

irqchip/gic-v3: Do not enable irqs when handling spurious interrups

Published Feb 27, 2024 · Updated May 11, 2026 · Assigned by Linux

Vendor: Linux Product: Linux Package: linux Package: linux Package: linux-allwinner-5.19 Package: linux-aws Package: linux-aws-5.0 Package: linux-aws-5.11 Package: linux-aws-5.13 Package: linux-aws-5.19 Package: linux-aws-5.3 Package: linux-aws-5.4 Package: linux-aws-5.8 Package: linux-aws-6.2 Package: linux-aws-fips Package: linux-azure Package: linux-azure-5.11 Package: linux-azure-5.13 Package: linux-azure-5.19 Package: linux-azure-5.3 Package: linux-azure-5.4 Package: linux-azure-5.8 Package: linux-azure-6.2 Package: linux-azure-edge Package: linux-azure-fde Package: linux-azure-fde-5.19 Package: linux-azure-fde-6.2 Package: linux-azure-fips Package: linux-bluefield Package: linux-fips Package: linux-gcp Package: linux-gcp-5.11 Package: linux-gcp-5.13 Package: linux-gcp-5.19 Package: linux-gcp-5.3 Package: linux-gcp-5.4 Package: linux-gcp-5.8 Package: linux-gcp-6.2 Package: linux-gcp-fips Package: linux-gke Package: linux-gke-4.15 Package: linux-gke-5.15 Package: linux-gke-5.4 Package: linux-gkeop Package: linux-gkeop-5.4 Package: linux-hwe Package: linux-hwe-5.11 Package: linux-hwe-5.13 Package: linux-hwe-5.19 Package: linux-hwe-5.4 Package: linux-hwe-5.8 Package: linux-hwe-6.2 Package: linux-hwe-edge Package: linux-intel-5.13 Package: linux-intel-iot-realtime Package: linux-kvm Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.19 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.2 Package: linux-nvidia-6.2 Package: linux-oem Package: linux-oem-5.10 Package: linux-oem-5.13 Package: linux-oem-5.14 Package: linux-oem-5.17 Package: linux-oem-5.6 Package: linux-oem-6.0 Package: linux-oem-6.1 Package: linux-oracle Package: linux-oracle-5.0 Package: linux-oracle-5.11 Package: linux-oracle-5.13 Package: linux-oracle-5.3 Package: linux-oracle-5.4 Package: linux-oracle-5.8 Package: linux-raspi Package: linux-raspi-5.4 Package: linux-raspi-realtime Package: linux-raspi2 Package: linux-realtime Package: linux-riscv Package: linux-riscv-5.11 Package: linux-riscv-5.19 Package: linux-riscv-5.8 Package: linux-starfive-5.19 Package: linux-starfive-6.2 Package: linux-vmware Platform: Linux Ecosystem: Debian Ecosystem: Ubuntu

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

irqchip/gic-v3: Do not enable irqs when handling spurious interrups

We triggered the following error while running our 4.19 kernel
with the pseudo-NMI patches backported to it:

[ 14.816231] ------------[ cut here ]------------
[ 14.816231] kernel BUG at irq.c:99!
[ 14.816232] Internal error: Oops - BUG: 0 [#1] SMP
[ 14.816232] Process swapper/0 (pid: 0, stack limit = 0x(____ptrval____))
[ 14.816233] CPU: 0 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/0 Tainted: G O 4.19.95.aarch64 #14
[ 14.816233] Hardware name: evb (DT)
[ 14.816234] pstate: 80400085 (Nzcv daIf +PAN -UAO)
[ 14.816234] pc : asm_nmi_enter+0x94/0x98
[ 14.816235] lr : asm_nmi_enter+0x18/0x98
[ 14.816235] sp : ffff000008003c50
[ 14.816235] pmr_save: 00000070
[ 14.816237] x29: ffff000008003c50 x28: ffff0000095f56c0
[ 14.816238] x27: 0000000000000000 x26: ffff000008004000
[ 14.816239] x25: 00000000015e0000 x24: ffff8008fb916000
[ 14.816240] x23: 0000000020400005 x22: ffff0000080817cc
[ 14.816241] x21: ffff000008003da0 x20: 0000000000000060
[ 14.816242] x19: 00000000000003ff x18: ffffffffffffffff
[ 14.816243] x17: 0000000000000008 x16: 003d090000000000
[ 14.816244] x15: ffff0000095ea6c8 x14: ffff8008fff5ab40
[ 14.816244] x13: ffff8008fff58b9d x12: 0000000000000000
[ 14.816245] x11: ffff000008c8a200 x10: 000000008e31fca5
[ 14.816246] x9 : ffff000008c8a208 x8 : 000000000000000f
[ 14.816247] x7 : 0000000000000004 x6 : ffff8008fff58b9e
[ 14.816248] x5 : 0000000000000000 x4 : 0000000080000000
[ 14.816249] x3 : 0000000000000000 x2 : 0000000080000000
[ 14.816250] x1 : 0000000000120000 x0 : ffff0000095f56c0
[ 14.816251] Call trace:
[ 14.816251] asm_nmi_enter+0x94/0x98
[ 14.816251] el1_irq+0x8c/0x180 (IRQ C)
[ 14.816252] gic_handle_irq+0xbc/0x2e4
[ 14.816252] el1_irq+0xcc/0x180 (IRQ B)
[ 14.816253] arch_timer_handler_virt+0x38/0x58
[ 14.816253] handle_percpu_devid_irq+0x90/0x240
[ 14.816253] generic_handle_irq+0x34/0x50
[ 14.816254] __handle_domain_irq+0x68/0xc0
[ 14.816254] gic_handle_irq+0xf8/0x2e4
[ 14.816255] el1_irq+0xcc/0x180 (IRQ A)
[ 14.816255] arch_cpu_idle+0x34/0x1c8
[ 14.816255] default_idle_call+0x24/0x44
[ 14.816256] do_idle+0x1d0/0x2c8
[ 14.816256] cpu_startup_entry+0x28/0x30
[ 14.816256] rest_init+0xb8/0xc8
[ 14.816257] start_kernel+0x4c8/0x4f4
[ 14.816257] Code: 940587f1 d5384100 b9401001 36a7fd01 (d4210000)
[ 14.816258] Modules linked in: start_dp(O) smeth(O)
[ 15.103092] ---[ end trace 701753956cb14aa8 ]---
[ 15.103093] Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception in interrupt
[ 15.103099] SMP: stopping secondary CPUs
[ 15.103100] Kernel Offset: disabled
[ 15.103100] CPU features: 0x36,a2400218
[ 15.103100] Memory Limit: none

which is cause by a 'BUG_ON(in_nmi())' in nmi_enter().

From the call trace, we can find three interrupts (noted A, B, C above):
interrupt (A) is preempted by (B), which is further interrupted by (C).

Subsequent investigations show that (B) results in nmi_enter() being
called, but that it actually is a spurious interrupt. Furthermore,
interrupts are reenabled in the context of (B), and (C) fires with
NMI priority. We end-up with a nested NMI situation, something
we definitely do not want to (and cannot) handle.

The bug here is that spurious interrupts should never result in any
state change, and we should just return to the interrupted context.
Moving the handling of spurious interrupts as early as possible in
the GICv3 handler fixes this issue.

[maz: rewrote commit message, corrected Fixes: tag]

Affected products

VendorProductAffectedFixed
Linux Linux 5.1 5.4.118

Fixed in Linux distributions

Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Debian 14 linux 5.10.38-1 —
Debian 13 linux 5.10.38-1 —
Debian 12 linux 5.10.38-1 —
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS linux-raspi-realtime No fix yet —
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS linux-riscv +22 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux 5.4.0-77.86 —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-aws +1 5.4.0-1051.53 —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-bluefield 5.4.0-1013.16 —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-gcp 5.4.0-1046.49 —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-gke +26 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-gkeop 5.4.0-1018.19 —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-kvm 5.4.0-1041.42 —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-oracle 5.4.0-1048.52 —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-raspi 5.4.0-1038.41 —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-aws-5.4 +1 5.4.0-1051.53~18.04.1 —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-gcp +14 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-gcp-5.4 5.4.0-1046.49~18.04.1 —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-hwe-5.4 5.4.0-77.86~18.04.1 —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-oracle-5.4 5.4.0-1048.52~18.04.1 —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-raspi-5.4 5.4.0-1038.41~18.04.1 —
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS linux-hwe-edge No fix yet —
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu Pro FIPS 20.04 LTS linux-fips +3 No fix yet —
Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS linux-aws-fips 5.4.0-1069.73+fips2 —
Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS linux-azure-fips 5.4.0-1073.76+fips1 —
Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS linux-fips 5.4.0-1028.32 —
Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS linux-gcp-fips 5.4.0-1067.71~20.04.1 —
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
SLES 15 SP3 kernel-64kb +7 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLES 15 SP3 kernel-default-base 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1.150300.18.92.5 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLES 15 SP2 kernel-default-base 5.3.18-150200.24.188.1.150200.9.95.3 SUSE-SU-2024:1454-1
SLES 15 SP2 kernel-docs +5 5.3.18-150200.24.188.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1454-1
Show 9 more (older releases, extended support, other products)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
SLES for SAP 15 SP3 kernel-default-base 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1.150300.18.92.5 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLES for SAP 15 SP3 kernel-docs +5 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLES for SAP 15 SP2 kernel-default-base 5.3.18-150200.24.188.1.150200.9.95.3 SUSE-SU-2024:1454-1
SLES for SAP 15 SP2 kernel-docs +5 5.3.18-150200.24.188.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1454-1
SLE Micro 5.2 kernel-default 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLE Micro 5.2 kernel-default-base 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1.150300.18.92.5 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLE Micro 5.2 kernel-rt +1 5.3.18-150300.166.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1465-1
SLE Micro 5.1 kernel-default 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLE Micro 5.1 kernel-default-base 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1.150300.18.92.5 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLE Micro 5.1 kernel-rt +1 5.3.18-150300.166.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1465-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP3 kernel-default 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP3 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP3_Update_43 1-150300.7.3.5 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP2 kernel-default 5.3.18-150200.24.188.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1454-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP2 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP2_Update_47 1-150200.5.3.3 SUSE-SU-2024:1454-1
SLE HPC 15 SP3 kernel-64kb +6 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLE HPC 15 SP3 kernel-default-base 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1.150300.18.92.5 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SLE HPC 15 SP2 kernel-default-base 5.3.18-150200.24.188.1.150200.9.95.3 SUSE-SU-2024:1454-1
SLE HPC 15 SP2 kernel-docs +5 5.3.18-150200.24.188.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1454-1
SUSE Enterprise Storage 7.1 kernel-64kb +6 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1
SUSE Enterprise Storage 7.1 kernel-default-base 5.3.18-150300.59.158.1.150300.18.92.5 SUSE-SU-2024:1489-1

Advisories 4

References