Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
arm64/fpsimd: ptrace: Fix SVE writes on !SME systems
When SVE is supported but SME is not supported, a ptrace write to the
NT_ARM_SVE regset can place the tracee into an invalid state where
(non-streaming) SVE register data is stored in FP_STATE_SVE format but
TIF_SVE is clear. This can result in a later warning from
fpsimd_restore_current_state(), e.g.
WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 7214 at arch/arm64/kernel/fpsimd.c:383 fpsimd_restore_current_state+0x50c/0x748
When this happens, fpsimd_restore_current_state() will set TIF_SVE,
placing the task into the correct state. This occurs before any other
check of TIF_SVE can possibly occur, as other checks of TIF_SVE only
happen while the FPSIMD/SVE/SME state is live. Thus, aside from the
warning, there is no functional issue.
This bug was introduced during rework to error handling in commit:
9f8bf718f2923 ("arm64/fpsimd: ptrace: Gracefully handle errors")
... where the setting of TIF_SVE was moved into a block which is only
executed when system_supports_sme() is true.
Fix this by removing the system_supports_sme() check. This ensures that
TIF_SVE is set for (SVE-formatted) writes to NT_ARM_SVE, at the cost of
unconditionally manipulating the tracee's saved svcr value. The
manipulation of svcr is benign and inexpensive, and we already do
similar elsewhere (e.g. during signal handling), so I don't think it's
worth guarding this with system_supports_sme() checks.
Aside from the above, there is no functional change. The 'type' argument
to sve_set_common() is only set to ARM64_VEC_SME (in ssve_set())) when
system_supports_sme(), so the ARM64_VEC_SME case in the switch statement
is still unreachable when !system_supports_sme(). When
CONFIG_ARM64_SME=n, the only caller of sve_set_common() is sve_set(),
and the compiler can constant-fold for the case where type is
ARM64_VEC_SVE, removing the logic for other cases.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.16 | 6.18.8 |
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 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 25.10 | linux +8 | No fix yet | — |
| 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-6.17 | 6.17.0-1018.18~24.04.1 | USN-8605-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gcp-6.17 | 6.17.0-1021.24~24.04.1 | USN-8570-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-hwe-6.17 | 6.17.0-41.41~24.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-6.17 | 6.17.0-1031.31 | USN-8669-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-oem-6.17 | 6.17.0-1030.30 | USN-8594-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-oracle-6.17 | 6.17.0-1019.19~24.04.3 | USN-8570-2 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-riscv +13 | 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 | — |
Show 2 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 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 |
Advisories 7
- WID-SEC-2026-0421 Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-8604-1 linux-azure-6.17 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-8605-1 linux-azure-fde-6.17 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Oct 17, 2026