Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
vsock/virtio: cap TX credit to local buffer size
The virtio transports derives its TX credit directly from peer_buf_alloc,
which is set from the remote endpoint's SO_VM_SOCKETS_BUFFER_SIZE value.
On the host side this means that the amount of data we are willing to
queue for a connection is scaled by a guest-chosen buffer size, rather
than the host's own vsock configuration. A malicious guest can advertise
a large buffer and read slowly, causing the host to allocate a
correspondingly large amount of sk_buff memory.
The same thing would happen in the guest with a malicious host, since
virtio transports share the same code base.
Introduce a small helper, virtio_transport_tx_buf_size(), that
returns min(peer_buf_alloc, buf_alloc), and use it wherever we consume
peer_buf_alloc.
This ensures the effective TX window is bounded by both the peer's
advertised buffer and our own buf_alloc (already clamped to
buffer_max_size via SO_VM_SOCKETS_BUFFER_MAX_SIZE), so a remote peer
cannot force the other to queue more data than allowed by its own
vsock settings.
On an unpatched Ubuntu 22.04 host (~64 GiB RAM), running a PoC with
32 guest vsock connections advertising 2 GiB each and reading slowly
drove Slab/SUnreclaim from ~0.5 GiB to ~57 GiB; the system only
recovered after killing the QEMU process. That said, if QEMU memory is
limited with cgroups, the maximum memory used will be limited.
With this patch applied:
Before:
MemFree: ~61.6 GiB
Slab: ~142 MiB
SUnreclaim: ~117 MiB
After 32 high-credit connections:
MemFree: ~61.5 GiB
Slab: ~178 MiB
SUnreclaim: ~152 MiB
Only ~35 MiB increase in Slab/SUnreclaim, no host OOM, and the guest
remains responsive.
Compatibility with non-virtio transports:
- VMCI uses the AF_VSOCK buffer knobs to size its queue pairs per
socket based on the local vsk->buffer_* values; the remote side
cannot enlarge those queues beyond what the local endpoint
configured.
- Hyper-V's vsock transport uses fixed-size VMBus ring buffers and
an MTU bound; there is no peer-controlled credit field comparable
to peer_buf_alloc, and the remote endpoint cannot drive in-flight
kernel memory above those ring sizes.
- The loopback path reuses virtio_transport_common.c, so it
naturally follows the same semantics as the virtio transport.
This change is limited to virtio_transport_common.c and thus affects
virtio-vsock, vhost-vsock, and loopback, bringing them in line with the
"remote window intersected with local policy" behaviour that VMCI and
Hyper-V already effectively have.
[Stefano: small adjustments after changing the previous patch]
[Stefano: tweak the commit message]
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 4.8 | 6.1.162 |
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 | 6.18.8-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 6.12.69-1 | DSA-6126-1 |
| Debian 12 | linux | 6.1.162-1 | DSA-6127-1 |
| Debian 11 | linux-6.1 | 6.1.162-1~deb11u1 | DLA-4476-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Nvidia-BlueField 24.04 LTS | linux-bluefield | 6.8.0-1022.26 | — |
| Ubuntu Nvidia-BlueField 22.04 LTS | linux-bluefield | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | linux +8 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux | 6.8.0-117.117 | USN-8278-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-aws | 6.8.0-1055.58 | USN-8278-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure | 6.8.0-1056.62 | USN-8278-2 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-6.17 | 6.17.0-1021.21~24.04.1 | USN-8604-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde | 6.8.0-1058.65 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde-6.17 | 6.17.0-1018.18~24.04.1 | USN-8605-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-nvidia | 6.8.0-1039.42 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gcp | 6.8.0-1058.61 | USN-8278-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gcp-6.17 | 6.17.0-1021.24~24.04.1 | USN-8570-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gke | 6.8.0-1054.60 | USN-8278-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gkeop | 6.8.0-1041.44 | USN-8278-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-hwe-6.17 | 6.17.0-41.41~24.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-ibm | 6.8.0-1055.56 | USN-8278-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-lowlatency | 6.8.0-117.117.1 | USN-8278-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-nvidia | 6.8.0-1054.57 | USN-8289-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-6.17 | 6.17.0-1031.31 | USN-8669-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-lowlatency | 6.8.0-1054.57.1 | USN-8289-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-tegra | 6.8.0-1024.24 | USN-8296-2 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-oem-6.17 | 6.17.0-1030.30 | USN-8594-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-oracle | 6.8.0-1054.55 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-oracle-6.17 | 6.17.0-1019.19~24.04.3 | USN-8570-2 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-raspi | 6.8.0-1056.60 | USN-8278-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-riscv +20 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-xilinx | 6.8.0-1032.33 | USN-8499-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux +49 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-aws-6.8 | 6.8.0-1057.60~22.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-azure-6.8 | 6.8.0-1059.65~22.04.1 | USN-8440-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde-6.8 | 6.8.0-1058.65~22.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-gcp-6.8 | 6.8.0-1060.63~22.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-hwe-6.8 | 6.8.0-124.124~22.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-ibm-6.8 | 6.8.0-1055.56~22.04.1 | USN-8278-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.8 | 6.8.0-117.117.1~22.04.1 | USN-8278-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-6.8 | 6.8.0-1054.57~22.04.1 | USN-8289-2 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-oracle-6.8 | 6.8.0-1054.55~22.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-riscv-6.8 | 6.8.0-117.117~22.04.1 | — |
Show 16 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 6.8.0-2045.46 | USN-8278-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 24.04 LTS | linux-realtime | 6.8.1-1051.52 | USN-8278-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 24.04 LTS | linux-realtime-6.14 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 24.04 LTS | linux-realtime-6.17 | 6.17.0-1018.20~24.04.1 | USN-8570-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 22.04 LTS | linux-realtime +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 22.04 LTS | linux-realtime-6.8 | 6.8.1-1051.52~22.04.1 | USN-8278-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS 20.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS 18.04 LTS | linux-fips +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 24.04 LTS | linux-aws-fips | 6.8.0-1055.58+fips1 | USN-8278-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-fips | 6.8.0-1059.65+fips1 | USN-8393-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 24.04 LTS | linux-fips | 6.8.0-116.116+fips1 | USN-8296-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 24.04 LTS | linux-gcp-fips | 6.8.0-1058.61+fips1 | USN-8278-1 |
| 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 | — |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP7 | kernel-64kb +7 | 6.4.0-150700.53.34.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:1081-1 |
| SLES 15 SP7 | kernel-default-base | 6.4.0-150700.53.34.1.150700.17.23.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:1081-1 |
| SLES 12 SP5 | kernel-syms +2 | 4.12.14-122.296.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:1078-1 |
Show 8 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 16.0 | kernel-64kb +8 | 6.12.0-160000.27.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:20931-1 |
| SLES for SAP 16.0 | kernel-default-base | 6.12.0-160000.27.1.160000.2.8 | SUSE-SU-2026:20931-1 |
| SLES 16.0 | kernel-64kb +8 | 6.12.0-160000.27.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:20931-1 |
| SLES 16.0 | kernel-default-base | 6.12.0-160000.27.1.160000.2.8 | SUSE-SU-2026:20931-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.2 | kernel-default-base | 6.12.0-160000.27.1.160000.2.8 | SUSE-SU-2026:20838-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.2 | kernel-rt +5 | 6.12.0-160000.27.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:20873-1, SUSE-SU-2026:20838-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.1 | kernel-default-base | 6.4.0-40.1.21.17 | SUSE-SU-2026:20667-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.1 | kernel-rt +4 | 6.4.0-40.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:20876-1, SUSE-SU-2026:20667-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.0 | kernel-default-base | 6.4.0-40.1.21.17 | SUSE-SU-2026:20720-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.0 | kernel-rt +4 | 6.4.0-40.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:20845-1, SUSE-SU-2026:20720-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP7 | kernel-default | 6.4.0-150700.53.34.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:1081-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP7 | kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP7-RT_Update_10 | 1-150700.1.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:0962-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 15 SP7 | kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP7_Update_10 | 1-150700.15.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:1081-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 12 SP5 | kernel-default | 4.12.14-122.296.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:1078-1 |
| SLE Live Patching 12 SP5 | kgraft-patch-SLE12-SP5_Update_78 | 1-8.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:1078-1 |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP7 | kernel-rt +2 | 6.4.0-150700.7.34.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:0962-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | kernel-default-base | 6.12.0-160000.27.1.160000.2.8 | openSUSE-SU-2026:20416-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | kernel-rt +11 | 6.12.0-160000.27.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:20416-1 |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | kernel-livepatch-6.12.68-92.122 +1 | 1:1.0-0.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1468, ALAS2023-2026-1455 |
| Amazon Linux 2023 | perf +14 | 1:6.1.163-186.299.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1468 |
| Amazon Linux 2023 | perf6.12 +14 | 1:6.12.68-92.122.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1455 |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 3 | kernel | 6.6.126.1-1 | — |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 9 | kernel-uek +34 | 6.12.0-200.74.27.el10uek | ELSA-2026-50372, ELSA-2026-50232, ELSA-2026-50160 |
Advisories 39
- WID-SEC-2026-0324 Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 11, 2026
- SSA-457936 SSA-457936: Vulnerabilities in the additional GNU/Linux subsystem of the SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518(F)-4 PN/DP MFP V3.1.7 Siemens ProductCERT · Nov 10, 2026
- USN-8604-1 linux-azure-6.17 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 7, 2026
- USN-8440-1 linux-azure-6.8 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 7, 2026
- USN-8499-1 linux-xilinx vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 7, 2026
- USN-8393-1 linux-azure-fips vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 7, 2026
- USN-8669-1 linux-nvidia-6.17 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 6, 2026
- USN-8570-1 linux-gcp-6.17, linux-realtime-6.17 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 6, 2026
- USN-8570-2 linux-oracle-6.17 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 6, 2026
- USN-8594-1 linux-oem-6.17 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 6, 2026
- USN-8278-1 linux, linux-aws, linux-aws-fips, linux-gcp, linux-gcp-fips, linux-gke, linux-gkeop, linux-ibm, linux-ibm-6.8, linux-lowlatency, linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.8, linux-raspi, linux-raspi-realtime, linux-realtime, linux-realtime-6.8 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 5, 2026
- USN-8289-1 linux-nvidia, linux-nvidia-lowlatency vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 5, 2026
- USN-8289-2 linux-nvidia-6.8 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 5, 2026
- USN-8278-2 linux-azure vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 5, 2026
- USN-8296-1 linux-fips vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 4, 2026
- USN-8296-2 linux-nvidia-tegra vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 4, 2026
- ICSA-26-295-11 Siemens SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518(F)-4 PN/DP MFP CISA ICS & IT advisories · Oct 22, 2026
- USN-8605-1 linux-azure-fde-6.17 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Oct 17, 2026
- SSA-019113 SSA-019113: Vulnerabilities in the additional GNU/Linux subsystem of the SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518(F)-4 PN/DP MFP V3.1.6 Siemens ProductCERT · Oct 13, 2026
- ICSA-26-209-04 Siemens SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518(F)-4 PN/DP MFP CISA ICS & IT advisories · Jul 28, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:20873-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jul 9, 2026
- ELSA-2026-50372 Important: Unbreakable Enterprise kernel security update (Oracle Linux 9) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Jul 2, 2026
- ELSA-2026-50232 Important: Unbreakable Enterprise kernel security update (Oracle Linux 9) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Apr 15, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:20931-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Apr 2, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:20876-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 31, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:20416-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 29, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:20845-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 28, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:20838-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 28, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:1081-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 27, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:1078-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 27, 2026
- ALAS2023-2026-1468 Important: kernel security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Mar 26, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:0962-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 24, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:20720-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 23, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:20667-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 23, 2026
- ELSA-2026-50160 Important: Unbreakable Enterprise kernel security update (Oracle Linux 9) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Mar 20, 2026
- DSA-6127-1 linux - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DSA-6126-1 linux - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- ALAS2023-2026-1455 Important: kernel6.12 security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Mar 5, 2026
- DLA-4476-1 linux-6.1 - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Feb 10, 2026
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fef7110ae5617555c792a2bb4d27878d84583adf
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d9d5f222558b42f6277eafaaa6080966faf37676
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c0e42fb0e054c2b2ec4ee80f48ccd256ae0227ce
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/84ef86aa7120449828d1e0ce438c499014839711
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8ee784fdf006cbe8739cfa093f54d326cbf54037