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Unscored CVE-2026-31561 EUVD-2026-25454GHSA-pgvp-p3vq-7q7h

x86/cpu: Remove X86_CR4_FRED from the CR4 pinned bits mask

Published Apr 24, 2026 · Updated May 11, 2026 · Assigned by Linux

Vendor: Linux Product: Linux Package: linux Package: linux Package: linux-allwinner-5.19 Package: linux-aws Package: linux-aws-5.0 Package: linux-aws-5.11 Package: linux-aws-5.13 Package: linux-aws-5.19 Package: linux-aws-5.3 Package: linux-aws-5.8 Package: linux-aws-6.14 Package: linux-aws-6.17 Package: linux-aws-6.2 Package: linux-aws-6.5 Package: linux-azure Package: linux-azure-5.11 Package: linux-azure-5.13 Package: linux-azure-5.19 Package: linux-azure-5.3 Package: linux-azure-5.8 Package: linux-azure-6.11 Package: linux-azure-6.14 Package: linux-azure-6.17 Package: linux-azure-6.2 Package: linux-azure-6.5 Package: linux-azure-edge Package: linux-azure-fde Package: linux-azure-fde-5.19 Package: linux-azure-fde-6.14 Package: linux-azure-fde-6.2 Package: linux-azure-nvidia-6.14 Package: linux-gcp Package: linux-gcp-5.11 Package: linux-gcp-5.13 Package: linux-gcp-5.19 Package: linux-gcp-5.3 Package: linux-gcp-5.8 Package: linux-gcp-6.11 Package: linux-gcp-6.14 Package: linux-gcp-6.17 Package: linux-gcp-6.2 Package: linux-gcp-6.5 Package: linux-gke Package: linux-gke-4.15 Package: linux-gke-5.15 Package: linux-gke-5.4 Package: linux-gkeop Package: linux-gkeop-5.15 Package: linux-gkeop-5.4 Package: linux-hwe Package: linux-hwe-5.11 Package: linux-hwe-5.13 Package: linux-hwe-5.19 Package: linux-hwe-5.8 Package: linux-hwe-6.11 Package: linux-hwe-6.14 Package: linux-hwe-6.17 Package: linux-hwe-6.2 Package: linux-hwe-6.5 Package: linux-hwe-edge Package: linux-intel-5.13 Package: linux-intel-iot-realtime Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.19 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.11 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.2 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.5 Package: linux-nvidia-6.11 Package: linux-nvidia-6.17 Package: linux-nvidia-6.2 Package: linux-nvidia-6.5 Package: linux-oem Package: linux-oem-5.10 Package: linux-oem-5.13 Package: linux-oem-5.14 Package: linux-oem-5.17 Package: linux-oem-5.6 Package: linux-oem-6.0 Package: linux-oem-6.1 Package: linux-oem-6.11 Package: linux-oem-6.14 Package: linux-oem-6.17 Package: linux-oem-6.5 Package: linux-oem-6.8 Package: linux-oracle Package: linux-oracle-5.0 Package: linux-oracle-5.11 Package: linux-oracle-5.13 Package: linux-oracle-5.3 Package: linux-oracle-5.8 Package: linux-oracle-6.14 Package: linux-oracle-6.17 Package: linux-oracle-6.5 Package: linux-raspi Package: linux-raspi-realtime Package: linux-raspi2 Package: linux-realtime Package: linux-realtime-6.14 Package: linux-realtime-6.17 Package: linux-riscv Package: linux-riscv-5.11 Package: linux-riscv-5.19 Package: linux-riscv-5.8 Package: linux-riscv-6.14 Package: linux-riscv-6.17 Package: linux-riscv-6.5 Package: linux-starfive-5.19 Package: linux-starfive-6.2 Package: linux-starfive-6.5 Package: linux-vmware Platform: Linux Ecosystem: Debian Ecosystem: Ubuntu

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

x86/cpu: Remove X86_CR4_FRED from the CR4 pinned bits mask

Commit in Fixes added the FRED CR4 bit to the CR4 pinned bits mask so
that whenever something else modifies CR4, that bit remains set. Which
in itself is a perfectly fine idea.

However, there's an issue when during boot FRED is initialized: first on
the BSP and later on the APs. Thus, there's a window in time when
exceptions cannot be handled.

This becomes particularly nasty when running as SEV-{ES,SNP} or TDX
guests which, when they manage to trigger exceptions during that short
window described above, triple fault due to FRED MSRs not being set up
yet.

See Link tag below for a much more detailed explanation of the
situation.

So, as a result, the commit in that Link URL tried to address this
shortcoming by temporarily disabling CR4 pinning when an AP is not
online yet.

However, that is a problem in itself because in this case, an attack on
the kernel needs to only modify the online bit - a single bit in RW
memory - and then disable CR4 pinning and then disable SM*P, leading to
more and worse things to happen to the system.

So, instead, remove the FRED bit from the CR4 pinning mask, thus
obviating the need to temporarily disable CR4 pinning.

If someone manages to disable FRED when poking at CR4, then
idt_invalidate() would make sure the system would crash'n'burn on the
first exception triggered, which is a much better outcome security-wise.

Affected products

VendorProductAffectedFixed
Linux Linux 6.9 6.12.80

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.

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Debian 14 linux 6.19.11-1 —
Debian 13 linux 6.12.85-1 —
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu 25.10 linux +8 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS linux-riscv +26 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)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS linux-hwe-edge No fix yet —
Ubuntu Pro Realtime 24.04 LTS linux-realtime-6.14 +1 No fix yet —
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
SLES 15 SP7 kernel-64kb +4 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2 SUSE-SU-2026:3166-1
SLES 15 SP7 kernel-default-base 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2.150700.17.41.4 SUSE-SU-2026:3166-1
SLES 15 SP7 kernel-docs +2 6.4.0-150700.53.73.1 SUSE-SU-2026:3166-1
Show 5 more (older releases, extended support, other products)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
SLES for SAP 16.0 kernel-64kb +8 6.12.0-160000.37.1 SUSE-SU-2026:23231-1, SUSE-SU-2026:23221-1
SLES for SAP 16.0 kernel-default-base 6.12.0-160000.37.1.160000.2.19 SUSE-SU-2026:23231-1, SUSE-SU-2026:23221-1
SLES 16.0 kernel-64kb +8 6.12.0-160000.37.1 SUSE-SU-2026:23237-1, SUSE-SU-2026:23231-1, SUSE-SU-2026:23221-1
SLES 16.0 kernel-default-base 6.12.0-160000.37.1.160000.2.19 SUSE-SU-2026:23231-1, SUSE-SU-2026:23221-1
SLE Micro 6.2 kernel-default-base 6.12.0-160000.37.1.160000.2.19 SUSE-SU-2026:23068-1
SLE Micro 6.2 kernel-rt +5 6.12.0-160000.37.1 SUSE-SU-2026:23068-1, SUSE-SU-2026:23066-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP7 kernel-default 6.4.0-150700.53.73.2 SUSE-SU-2026:3166-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP7 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP7-RT_Update_18 1-150700.1.5.1 SUSE-SU-2026:3130-1
SLE Live Patching 15 SP7 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP7_Update_19 1-150700.15.3.4 SUSE-SU-2026:3166-1
SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP7 kernel-rt +2 6.4.0-150700.7.67.1 SUSE-SU-2026:3130-1
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
openSUSE Leap 16.0 kernel-default-base 6.12.0-160000.37.1.160000.2.19 openSUSE-SU-2026:21555-1
openSUSE Leap 16.0 kernel-rt +11 6.12.0-160000.37.1 openSUSE-SU-2026:21555-1

Amazon Linux

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Amazon Linux 2023 kernel-livepatch-6.18.25-52.107 +1 1:1.0-0.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-1746, ALAS2023-2026-1646
Amazon Linux 2023 perf6.12 +14 1:6.12.80-105.147.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-1646
Amazon Linux 2023 perf6.18 +11 1:6.18.25-52.107.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-1746

Oracle Linux

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Oracle Linux 9 kernel-uek +34 6.12.0-204.92.4.2.el10uek ELSA-2026-50372

Advisories 12

References