Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
KVM: VMX: Fix crash due to uninitialized current_vmcs
KVM enables 'Enlightened VMCS' and 'Enlightened MSR Bitmap' when running as
a nested hypervisor on top of Hyper-V. When MSR bitmap is updated,
evmcs_touch_msr_bitmap function uses current_vmcs per-cpu variable to mark
that the msr bitmap was changed.
vmx_vcpu_create() modifies the msr bitmap via vmx_disable_intercept_for_msr
-> vmx_msr_bitmap_l01_changed which in the end calls this function. The
function checks for current_vmcs if it is null but the check is
insufficient because current_vmcs is not initialized. Because of this, the
code might incorrectly write to the structure pointed by current_vmcs value
left by another task. Preemption is not disabled, the current task can be
preempted and moved to another CPU while current_vmcs is accessed multiple
times from evmcs_touch_msr_bitmap() which leads to crash.
The manipulation of MSR bitmaps by callers happens only for vmcs01 so the
solution is to use vmx->vmcs01.vmcs instead of current_vmcs.
BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000338
PGD 4e1775067 P4D 0
Oops: 0002 [#1] PREEMPT SMP NOPTI
...
RIP: 0010:vmx_msr_bitmap_l01_changed+0x39/0x50 [kvm_intel]
...
Call Trace:
vmx_disable_intercept_for_msr+0x36/0x260 [kvm_intel]
vmx_vcpu_create+0xe6/0x540 [kvm_intel]
kvm_arch_vcpu_create+0x1d1/0x2e0 [kvm]
kvm_vm_ioctl_create_vcpu+0x178/0x430 [kvm]
kvm_vm_ioctl+0x53f/0x790 [kvm]
__x64_sys_ioctl+0x8a/0xc0
do_syscall_64+0x5c/0x90
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 4.18 | 5.10.175 |
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 | 5.15.0-1022.24 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-riscv +10 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux | 5.15.0-79.86 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-aws | 5.15.0-1042.47 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-azure | 5.15.0-1045.52 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde | 5.15.0-1045.52.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-gcp | 5.15.0-1039.47 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-gke +1 | 5.15.0-1039.44 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-gkeop | 5.15.0-1025.30 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-ibm +1 | 5.15.0-1035.38 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-intel-iotg | 5.15.0-1037.42 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-lowlatency | 5.15.0-79.88 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-nvidia | 5.15.0-1030.30 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-tegra | 5.15.0-1016.16 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-tegra-igx | 5.15.0-1002.2 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-oracle | 5.15.0-1040.46 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-riscv +32 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-xilinx-zynqmp | 5.15.0-1025.29 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-aws-5.15 | 5.15.0-1041.46~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-azure-5.15 | 5.15.0-1045.52~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gcp-5.15 | 5.15.0-1039.47~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gke +28 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-hwe-5.15 | 5.15.0-79.86~20.04.2 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-ibm-5.15 | 5.15.0-1036.39~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-intel-iotg-5.15 | 5.15.0-1037.42~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.15 | 5.15.0-79.88~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-tegra-5.15 | 5.15.0-1016.16~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-oracle-5.15 | 5.15.0-1040.46~20.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-riscv-5.15 | 5.15.0-1038.42~20.04.2 | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-gcp +14 | No fix yet | — |
Show 7 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-intel-iot-realtime | 5.15.0-1036.38 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 22.04 LTS | linux-realtime | 5.15.0-1043.48 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS 20.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 20.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-preview 22.04 LTS | linux-fips | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | linux +10 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | linux-aws-5.4 +6 | No fix yet | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 9 | bpftool | 7.2.0-362.8.1.el9_3 | RHSA-2023:6583 |
| RHEL 9 | rv +64 | 5.14.0-362.8.1.el9_3 | RHSA-2023:6583 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 9.0 EUS | perf +29 | 5.14.0-70.58.1.el9_0 | RHSA-2023:3465 |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | kernel-livepatch-6.1.19-30.43 | 1.0-0.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2023-138 |
| Amazon Linux 2023 | perf +12 | 6.1.19-30.43.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2023-138 |
Advisories 4
- WID-SEC-2025-2756 Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen ermöglichen Denial of Service BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 12, 2026
- RHSA-2023:6583 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Oct 17, 2026
- RHSA-2023:3465 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Sep 30, 2026
- ALAS2023-2023-138 Important: kernel security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Feb 8, 2026
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6baebcecf09acd19e2bab1c2911dcdba5d48a1dc
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6e7bc50f97c9855da83f1478f722590defd45ff2
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b2de2b4d4e007f9add46ea8dc06f781835e3ea9f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3ba95cc671c025d0d2a1c7d5e2930f0ff0980cf4
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/93827a0a36396f2fd6368a54a020f420c8916e9b