Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
KVM: VMX: Do _all_ initialization before exposing /dev/kvm to userspace
Call kvm_init() only after _all_ setup is complete, as kvm_init() exposes
/dev/kvm to userspace and thus allows userspace to create VMs (and call
other ioctls). E.g. KVM will encounter a NULL pointer when attempting to
add a vCPU to the per-CPU loaded_vmcss_on_cpu list if userspace is able to
create a VM before vmx_init() configures said list.
BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000008
#PF: supervisor write access in kernel mode
#PF: error_code(0x0002) - not-present page
PGD 0 P4D 0
Oops: 0002 [#1] SMP
CPU: 6 PID: 1143 Comm: stable Not tainted 6.0.0-rc7+ #988
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 0.0.0 02/06/2015
RIP: 0010:vmx_vcpu_load_vmcs+0x68/0x230 [kvm_intel]
<TASK>
vmx_vcpu_load+0x16/0x60 [kvm_intel]
kvm_arch_vcpu_load+0x32/0x1f0 [kvm]
vcpu_load+0x2f/0x40 [kvm]
kvm_arch_vcpu_create+0x231/0x310 [kvm]
kvm_vm_ioctl+0x79f/0xe10 [kvm]
? handle_mm_fault+0xb1/0x220
__x64_sys_ioctl+0x80/0xb0
do_syscall_64+0x2b/0x50
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x46/0xb0
RIP: 0033:0x7f5a6b05743b
</TASK>
Modules linked in: vhost_net vhost vhost_iotlb tap kvm_intel(+) kvm irqbypass
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 4.9.220 – < 4.10, 4.14.177 – < 4.15, 4.19.116 – < 4.20, 5.4.33 – < 5.5, 5.5.18 – < 5.6, 5.6.5 – < 5.7, 5.7 | 4.10 |
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.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | linux | 6.1.20-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 6.1.20-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | linux | 6.1.20-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Nvidia-BlueField 22.04 LTS | linux-bluefield | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-realtime +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux +49 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gke +28 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-gcp +14 | No fix yet | — |
Show 12 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | linux-hwe-edge | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 22.04 LTS | linux-realtime +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS 20.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS 18.04 LTS | linux-fips | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 22.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 18.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-preview 22.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | linux +21 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | linux +12 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | linux-gcp +4 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | linux-azure | No fix yet | — |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | kernel-livepatch-6.1.21-1.45 | 1.0-0.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2023-148 |
| Amazon Linux 2023 | perf +12 | 6.1.21-1.45.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2023-148 |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 2 (CBL-Mariner) | kernel | No fix yet | — |
Advisories 1
- ALAS2023-2023-148 Important: kernel security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Sep 22, 2025