Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
KVM: SVM: Forcibly leave SMM mode on SHUTDOWN interception
Previously, commit ed129ec9057f ("KVM: x86: forcibly leave nested mode
on vCPU reset") addressed an issue where a triple fault occurring in
nested mode could lead to use-after-free scenarios. However, the commit
did not handle the analogous situation for System Management Mode (SMM).
This omission results in triggering a WARN when KVM forces a vCPU INIT
after SHUTDOWN interception while the vCPU is in SMM. This situation was
reprodused using Syzkaller by:
1) Creating a KVM VM and vCPU
2) Sending a KVM_SMI ioctl to explicitly enter SMM
3) Executing invalid instructions causing consecutive exceptions and
eventually a triple fault
The issue manifests as follows:
WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 25506 at arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:12112
kvm_vcpu_reset+0x1d2/0x1530 arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:12112
Modules linked in:
CPU: 0 PID: 25506 Comm: syz-executor.0 Not tainted
6.1.130-syzkaller-00157-g164fe5dde9b6 #0
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996),
BIOS 1.12.0-1 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:kvm_vcpu_reset+0x1d2/0x1530 arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:12112
Call Trace:
<TASK>
shutdown_interception+0x66/0xb0 arch/x86/kvm/svm/svm.c:2136
svm_invoke_exit_handler+0x110/0x530 arch/x86/kvm/svm/svm.c:3395
svm_handle_exit+0x424/0x920 arch/x86/kvm/svm/svm.c:3457
vcpu_enter_guest arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:10959 [inline]
vcpu_run+0x2c43/0x5a90 arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:11062
kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_run+0x50f/0x1cf0 arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:11283
kvm_vcpu_ioctl+0x570/0xf00 arch/x86/kvm/../../../virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:4122
vfs_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:51 [inline]
__do_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:870 [inline]
__se_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:856 [inline]
__x64_sys_ioctl+0x19a/0x210 fs/ioctl.c:856
do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:51 [inline]
do_syscall_64+0x35/0x80 arch/x86/entry/common.c:81
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x6e/0xd8
Architecturally, INIT is blocked when the CPU is in SMM, hence KVM's WARN()
in kvm_vcpu_reset() to guard against KVM bugs, e.g. to detect improper
emulation of INIT. SHUTDOWN on SVM is a weird edge case where KVM needs to
do _something_ sane with the VMCB, since it's technically undefined, and
INIT is the least awful choice given KVM's ABI.
So, double down on stuffing INIT on SHUTDOWN, and force the vCPU out of
SMM to avoid any weirdness (and the WARN).
Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with Syzkaller.
[sean: massage changelog, make it clear this isn't architectural behavior]
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 5.15.81 – < 5.16, 6.0.11 – < 6.1, 6.1 | 5.16 |
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 | 6.12.29-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 6.12.29-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | linux | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Nvidia-BlueField 24.04 LTS | linux-bluefield | 6.8.0-1016.20 | — |
| Ubuntu Nvidia-BlueField 22.04 LTS | linux-bluefield | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | linux-azure-fde | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 25.04 | linux-azure | 6.14.0-1010.10 | USN-7721-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux | 6.8.0-100.100 | USN-8028-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-aws +1 | 6.8.0-1046.49 | USN-8028-5 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-aws-6.14 +1 | 6.14.0-1011.11~24.04.1 | USN-7699-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure | 6.8.0-1046.52 | USN-8074-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde | 6.8.0-1046.53 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-nvidia | 6.8.0-1039.42 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gcp | 6.8.0-1047.50 | USN-8031-3 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gcp-6.14 | 6.14.0-1014.15~24.04.1 | USN-7699-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gke | 6.8.0-1043.48 | USN-8031-3 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gkeop | 6.8.0-1030.33 | USN-8028-5 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-hwe-6.14 | 6.14.0-28.28~24.04.1 | USN-7699-2 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-ibm | 6.8.0-1044.44 | USN-8028-8 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-intel +10 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-lowlatency | 6.8.0-100.100.1 | USN-8052-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-lowlatency | 6.8.0-1046.49.1 | USN-8028-7 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-tegra | 6.8.0-1020.20 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-oem-6.14 | 6.14.0-1010.10 | USN-7699-2 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-oracle | 6.8.0-1043.44 | USN-8028-5 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-raspi | 6.8.0-1047.51 | USN-8028-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-riscv-6.14 | 6.14.0-28.28.1~24.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-xilinx | 6.8.0-1023.24 | USN-8052-2 |
Show 10 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux +49 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-aws-6.8 +1 | 6.8.0-1046.49~22.04.1 | USN-8028-5 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-azure-6.8 | 6.8.0-1051.57~22.04.1 | USN-8126-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde-6.8 | 6.8.0-1046.53~22.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-gcp-6.8 | 6.8.0-1047.50~22.04.2 | USN-8031-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-hwe-6.8 +1 | 6.8.0-100.100~22.04.1 | USN-8028-6 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-ibm-6.8 | 6.8.0-1044.44~22.04.1 | USN-8028-8 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.8 | 6.8.0-100.100.1~22.04.1 | USN-8028-6 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-oracle-6.8 | 6.8.0-1043.44~22.04.1 | USN-8028-5 |
| 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 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 24.04 LTS | linux-raspi-realtime | 6.8.0-2037.38 | USN-8028-3 |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 24.04 LTS | linux-realtime | 6.8.1-1041.42 | USN-8028-3 |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 24.04 LTS | linux-realtime-6.14 | 6.14.0-1010.10~24.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 22.04 LTS | linux-realtime +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 22.04 LTS | linux-realtime-6.8 | 6.8.1-1041.42~22.04.1 | USN-8028-2 |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 24.04 LTS | linux-aws-fips | 6.8.0-1046.49+fips1 | USN-8028-4 |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-fips | 6.8.0-1046.52+fips1 | USN-8074-2 |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 24.04 LTS | linux-fips | 6.8.0-100.100+fips1 | USN-8028-4 |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 24.04 LTS | linux-gcp-fips | 6.8.0-1047.50+fips1 | USN-8031-2 |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 22.04 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-aws-5.15 +10 | No fix yet | — |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP7 | kernel-64kb +6 | 6.4.0-150700.53.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:01951-1 |
| SLES 15 SP7 | kernel-azure +2 | 6.4.0-150700.20.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:01967-1 |
| SLES 15 SP7 | kernel-default-base | 6.4.0-150700.53.3.1.150700.17.2.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:01951-1 |
| SLES 15 SP6 | kernel-64kb +6 | 6.4.0-150600.23.53.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:02000-1 |
| SLES 15 SP6 | kernel-azure +2 | 6.4.0-150600.8.40.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:01965-1 |
| SLES 15 SP6 | kernel-coco +3 | 6.4.0-15061.21.coco15sp6.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:01919-1 |
| SLES 15 SP6 | kernel-default-base | 6.4.0-150600.23.53.1.150600.12.24.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:02000-1 |
Show 6 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLE Micro 6.1 | kernel-default-base | 6.4.0-30.1.21.8 | SUSE-SU-2025:20419-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.1 | kernel-rt +1 | 6.4.0-33.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:20421-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.1 | kernel-source +2 | 6.4.0-30.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:20419-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.0 | kernel-default-base | 6.4.0-30.1.21.8 | SUSE-SU-2025:20408-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.0 | kernel-rt +1 | 6.4.0-33.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:20413-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.0 | kernel-source +2 | 6.4.0-30.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:20408-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP7 | kernel-default | 6.4.0-150700.53.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:01951-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP7 | kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP7-RT_Update_1 | 1-150700.1.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:01972-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP7 | kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP7_Update_1 | 1-150700.15.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:01951-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP6 | kernel-default | 6.4.0-150600.23.53.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:02000-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP6 | kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP6-RT_Update_11 | 1-150600.1.3.2 | SUSE-SU-2025:01964-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP6 | kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP6_Update_12 | 1-150600.13.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:02000-1 |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP7 | kernel-rt +3 | 6.4.0-150700.7.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:01972-1 |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP6 | kernel-rt +3 | 6.4.0-150600.10.39.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:01964-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Leap 15.6 | dtb-aarch64 +10 | 6.4.0-150600.23.53.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:02000-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 15.6 | kernel-azure +2 | 6.4.0-150600.8.40.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:01965-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 15.6 | kernel-default-base | 6.4.0-150600.23.53.1.150600.12.24.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:02000-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 15.6 | kernel-rt +3 | 6.4.0-150600.10.39.1 | SUSE-SU-2025:01964-1 |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | bpftool +14 | 6.12.29-33.102.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2025-994 |
| Amazon Linux 2023 | kernel-livepatch-6.12.29-33.102 | 1.0-0.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2025-994 |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 2 (CBL-Mariner) | kernel | 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 34
- WID-SEC-2025-1114 Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-8028-5 linux-aws, linux-aws-6.8, linux-gkeop, linux-nvidia, linux-nvidia-6.8, linux-oracle, linux-oracle-6.8 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8126-1 linux-azure-6.8 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8028-8 linux-ibm, linux-ibm-6.8 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8028-6 linux-hwe-6.8, linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.8 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8052-1 linux-lowlatency vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8052-2 linux-xilinx vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8074-1 linux-azure vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8074-2 linux-azure-fips vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8031-3 linux-gcp, linux-gke vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8028-4 linux-aws-fips, linux-fips vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8028-1 linux, linux-raspi vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8028-3 linux-realtime, linux-raspi-realtime vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8028-7 linux-nvidia-lowlatency vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8028-2 linux-realtime-6.8 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8031-2 linux-gcp-fips vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-8031-1 linux-gcp-6.8 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-7699-2 linux-hwe-6.14, linux-oem-6.14 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- USN-7699-1 linux, linux-aws, linux-aws-6.14, linux-gcp, linux-gcp-6.14, linux-oracle, linux-oracle-6.14, linux-raspi, linux-realtime vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 3, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2025:20421-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 23, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2025:20413-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 23, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2025:20419-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 23, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2025:20408-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 23, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2025:01972-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 23, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2025:02000-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 23, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2025:01967-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2025:01919-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2025:01951-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2025:01964-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- USN-7721-1 linux-azure vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2025:01965-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- ALAS2023-2025-994 Important: kernel6.12 security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Aug 26, 2025
- 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
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dc86a9cd181788f6cc4a2dbcd92ea6473dc2923f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ec24e62a1dd3540ee696314422040180040c1e4a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d362b21fefcef7eda8f1cd78a5925735d2b3287c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e9b28bc65fd3a56755ba503258024608292b4ab1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a2620f8932fa9fdabc3d78ed6efb004ca409019f