Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
x86/kexec: Disable KCOV instrumentation after load_segments()
The load_segments() function changes segment registers, invalidating GS base
(which KCOV relies on for per-cpu data). When CONFIG_KCOV is enabled, any
subsequent instrumented C code call (e.g. native_gdt_invalidate()) begins
crashing the kernel in an endless loop.
To reproduce the problem, it's sufficient to do kexec on a KCOV-instrumented
kernel:
$ kexec -l /boot/otherKernel
$ kexec -e
The real-world context for this problem is enabling crash dump collection in
syzkaller. For this, the tool loads a panic kernel before fuzzing and then
calls makedumpfile after the panic. This workflow requires both CONFIG_KEXEC
and CONFIG_KCOV to be enabled simultaneously.
Adding safeguards directly to the KCOV fast-path (__sanitizer_cov_trace_pc())
is also undesirable as it would introduce an extra performance overhead.
Disabling instrumentation for the individual functions would be too fragile,
so disable KCOV instrumentation for the entire machine_kexec_64.c and
physaddr.c. If coverage-guided fuzzing ever needs these components in the
future, other approaches should be considered.
The problem is not relevant for 32 bit kernels as CONFIG_KCOV is not supported
there.
[ bp: Space out comment for better readability. ]
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.6 | 6.6.143 |
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 | 6.19.12-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 6.12.94-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Nvidia-BlueField 24.04 LTS | linux-bluefield | 6.8.0-1032.37 | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-nvidia | 7.0.0-1006.6 | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | linux +8 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux | 6.8.0-146.146 | USN-8903-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-aws | 6.8.0-1066.69 | USN-8903-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde | 6.8.0-1068.75 | USN-8904-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gcp +1 | 6.8.0-1070.78 | USN-8905-2, USN-8904-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gke | 6.8.0-1065.73 | USN-8903-2 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gkeop | 6.8.0-1051.55 | USN-8903-2 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-ibm | 6.8.0-1066.67 | USN-8903-2 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-lowlatency | 6.8.0-146.146.1 | USN-8903-2 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-nvidia | 6.8.0-1064.67 | USN-8903-2 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-lowlatency | 6.8.0-1064.67.1 | USN-8903-2 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-tegra | 6.8.0-1038.42 | USN-9002-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-oracle | 6.8.0-1063.66 | USN-8903-2 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-raspi | 6.8.0-1068.72 | USN-9025-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-riscv +29 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-vmware | 6.8.0-1008.8 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-aws-6.8 | 6.8.0-1066.69~22.04.1 | USN-8903-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde-6.8 | 6.8.0-1068.75~22.04.1 | USN-8904-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-gcp-6.8 +1 | 6.8.0-1070.78~22.04.1 | USN-8905-1, USN-8904-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-hwe-6.8 | 6.8.0-149.149~22.04.1 | USN-9066-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-ibm-6.8 | 6.8.0-1066.67~22.04.1 | USN-8906-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.8 | 6.8.0-146.146.1~22.04.1 | USN-8903-2 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-6.8 | 6.8.0-1064.67~22.04.1 | USN-8903-2 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-oracle-6.8 | 6.8.0-1067.71~22.04.1 | USN-9025-1 |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-riscv +32 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-riscv-6.8 | 6.8.0-146.146~22.04.1 | — |
Show 6 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 | 6.8.0-2056.58 | USN-9025-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 24.04 LTS | linux-realtime | 6.8.1-1061.62 | USN-8903-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 24.04 LTS | linux-realtime-6.14 +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro Realtime 22.04 LTS | linux-realtime-6.8 | 6.8.1-1061.62~22.04.1 | USN-8903-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 24.04 LTS | linux-aws-fips | 6.8.0-1066.69+fips1 | USN-8903-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-fips | 6.8.0-1069.77+fips1 | USN-8904-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 24.04 LTS | linux-fips | 6.8.0-146.146+fips1 | USN-8903-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro FIPS-updates 24.04 LTS | linux-gcp-fips | 6.8.0-1070.78+fips1 | USN-8905-1 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 16.0 | kernel-64kb +8 | 6.12.0-160000.38.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:23902-1 |
| SLES for SAP 16.0 | kernel-default-base | 6.12.0-160000.38.1.160000.2.23 | SUSE-SU-2026:23902-1 |
| SLES 16.0 | kernel-64kb +8 | 6.12.0-160000.38.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:23902-1, SUSE-SU-2026:23897-1 |
| SLES 16.0 | kernel-default-base | 6.12.0-160000.38.1.160000.2.23 | SUSE-SU-2026:23902-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.2 | kernel-default-base | 6.12.0-160000.38.1.160000.2.23 | SUSE-SU-2026:23887-1 |
| SLE Micro 6.2 | kernel-rt +5 | 6.12.0-160000.38.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:23887-1, SUSE-SU-2026:23881-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | kernel-default-base | 6.12.0-160000.38.1.160000.2.22 | openSUSE-SU-2026:21910-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | kernel-rt +11 | 6.12.0-160000.38.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:21910-1 |
Advisories 15
- USN-9066-1 linux-hwe-6.8 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- WID-SEC-2026-1454 Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-9025-1 linux-oracle-6.8, linux-raspi, linux-raspi-realtime vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-9002-1 linux-nvidia-tegra vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-8903-2 linux-gke, linux-gkeop, linux-ibm, linux-lowlatency, linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.8, linux-nvidia, linux-nvidia-6.8, linux-nvidia-lowlatency, linux-oracle vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 9, 2026
- USN-8903-1 linux, linux-aws, linux-aws-6.8, linux-aws-fips, linux-fips, linux-realtime, linux-realtime-6.8 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 9, 2026
- USN-8904-1 linux-azure, linux-azure-6.8, linux-azure-fde, linux-azure-fde-6.8, linux-azure-fips vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 9, 2026
- USN-8905-2 linux-gcp vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 9, 2026
- USN-8905-1 linux-gcp-6.8, linux-gcp-fips vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 9, 2026
- USN-8906-1 linux-ibm-6.8 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 9, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:23902-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Sep 30, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:23881-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Sep 30, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:23887-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Sep 30, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:23897-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Sep 30, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:21910-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Sep 25, 2026
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0e96cd314c0d819c1635d68125a4d77852c2162e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/593d67032544b9271094fc9b43e437e017cb2b2f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1e3e98596c2769721ade0418434852fb3af4849a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/de05c66fab8847237a9ca216934e56d3ee837f08
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/917e3ad3321e75ca0223d5ccf26ceda116aa51e1