Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
arm64: ptrace: fix partial SETREGSET for NT_ARM_POE
Currently poe_set() doesn't initialize the temporary 'ctrl' variable,
and a SETREGSET call with a length of zero will leave this
uninitialized. Consequently an arbitrary value will be written back to
target->thread.por_el0, potentially leaking up to 64 bits of memory from
the kernel stack. The read is limited to a specific slot on the stack,
and the issue does not provide a write mechanism.
Fix this by initializing the temporary value before copying the regset
from userspace, as for other regsets (e.g. NT_PRSTATUS, NT_PRFPREG,
NT_ARM_SYSTEM_CALL). In the case of a zero-length write, the existing
contents of POR_EL1 will be retained.
Before this patch:
| # ./poe-test
| Attempting to write NT_ARM_POE::por_el0 = 0x900d900d900d900d
| SETREGSET(nt=0x40f, len=8) wrote 8 bytes
|
| Attempting to read NT_ARM_POE::por_el0
| GETREGSET(nt=0x40f, len=8) read 8 bytes
| Read NT_ARM_POE::por_el0 = 0x900d900d900d900d
|
| Attempting to write NT_ARM_POE (zero length)
| SETREGSET(nt=0x40f, len=0) wrote 0 bytes
|
| Attempting to read NT_ARM_POE::por_el0
| GETREGSET(nt=0x40f, len=8) read 8 bytes
| Read NT_ARM_POE::por_el0 = 0xffff8000839c3d50
After this patch:
| # ./poe-test
| Attempting to write NT_ARM_POE::por_el0 = 0x900d900d900d900d
| SETREGSET(nt=0x40f, len=8) wrote 8 bytes
|
| Attempting to read NT_ARM_POE::por_el0
| GETREGSET(nt=0x40f, len=8) read 8 bytes
| Read NT_ARM_POE::por_el0 = 0x900d900d900d900d
|
| Attempting to write NT_ARM_POE (zero length)
| SETREGSET(nt=0x40f, len=0) wrote 0 bytes
|
| Attempting to read NT_ARM_POE::por_el0
| GETREGSET(nt=0x40f, len=8) read 8 bytes
| Read NT_ARM_POE::por_el0 = 0x900d900d900d900d
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.12 | 6.12.5 |
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 | 6.12.5-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 6.12.5-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-raspi-realtime | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-riscv +32 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gke +28 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-gcp +14 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | linux-hwe-edge | No fix yet | — |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 9 | kernel-uek +34 | 6.12.0-101.33.4.3.el10uek | ELSA-2025-20530, ELSA-2025-20480 |
Advisories 3
- WID-SEC-2025-0047 Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen ermöglichen Denial of Service BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 11, 2026
- ELSA-2025-20530 Important: Unbreakable Enterprise kernel security update (Oracle Linux 9) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Aug 18, 2025
- ELSA-2025-20480 Important: Unbreakable Enterprise kernel security update (Oracle Linux 9) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Jul 17, 2025