Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
KVM: x86: Do IRR scan in __kvm_apic_update_irr even if PIR is empty
Fall back to apic_find_highest_vector() when PID.ON is set but PIR
turns out to be empty, to correctly report the highest pending interrupt
from the existing IRR.
In a nested VM stress test, the following WARNING fires in
vmx_check_nested_events() when kvm_cpu_has_interrupt() reports a pending
interrupt but the subsequent kvm_apic_has_interrupt() (which invokes
vmx_sync_pir_to_irr() again) returns -1:
WARNING: CPU: 99 PID: 57767 at arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c:4449 vmx_check_nested_events+0x6bf/0x6e0 [kvm_intel]
Call Trace:
kvm_check_and_inject_events
vcpu_enter_guest.constprop.0
vcpu_run
kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_run
kvm_vcpu_ioctl
__x64_sys_ioctl
do_syscall_64
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe
The root cause is a race between vmx_sync_pir_to_irr() on the target vCPU
and __vmx_deliver_posted_interrupt() on a sender vCPU. The sender
performs two individually-atomic operations that are not a single
transaction:
1. pi_test_and_set_pir(vector) -- sets the PIR bit
2. pi_test_and_set_on() -- sets PID.ON
The following interleaving triggers the bug:
Sender vCPU (IPI): Target vCPU (1st sync_pir_to_irr):
B1: set PIR[vector]
A1: pi_clear_on()
A2: pi_harvest_pir() -> sees B1 bit
A3: xchg() -> consumes bit, PIR=0
(1st sync returns correct max_irr)
B2: set PID.ON = 1
Target vCPU (2nd sync_pir_to_irr):
C1: pi_test_on() -> TRUE (from B2)
C2: pi_clear_on() -> ON=0
C3: pi_harvest_pir() -> PIR empty
C4: *max_irr = -1, early return
IRR NOT SCANNED
The interrupt is not lost (it resides in the IRR from the first sync and
is recovered on the next vcpu_enter_guest() iteration), but the incorrect
max_irr causes a spurious WARNING and a wasted L2 VM-Enter/VM-Exit cycle.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.16 | 6.18.30 |
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 | 7.0.7-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux | 7.0.0-28.28 | USN-8566-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-aws +2 | 7.0.0-1009.9 | USN-8618-1, USN-8603-1, USN-8568-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-gcp +1 | 7.0.0-1008.8 | USN-8593-1, USN-8566-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-gke | 7.0.0-1003.4 | USN-8566-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-ibm +1 | 7.0.0-1010.10 | USN-8603-1, USN-8593-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-nvidia | 7.0.0-1016.16 | USN-8663-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-bos | 7.0.0-2016.16 | USN-8664-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-raspi | 7.0.0-1015.15 | USN-8618-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-riscv +1 | 7.0.0-28.28.1 | USN-8566-1 |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | linux +8 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-7.0 | 7.0.0-1014.14~24.04.1 | USN-8728-2 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde-7.0 | 7.0.0-1013.13~24.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gcp-7.0 +1 | 7.0.0-1011.11~24.04.1 | USN-8728-3, USN-8728-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-hwe-7.0 | 7.0.0-28.28~24.04.1 | USN-8569-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-nvidia-7.0 | 7.0.0-1016.16~24.04.1 | USN-8663-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-riscv +23 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-riscv-7.0 | 7.0.0-28.28.1~24.04.3 | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-riscv +32 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gke +28 | No fix yet | — |
Show 3 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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-realtime-6.14 +1 | No fix yet | — |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | kernel-source | 7.0.12-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:11014-1 |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | kernel-livepatch-6.18.30-61.116 | 1:1.0-0.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1754 |
| Amazon Linux 2023 | perf6.18 +11 | 1:6.18.30-61.116.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1754 |
Advisories 14
- WID-SEC-2026-1827 Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen ermöglichen Denial of Service BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-8728-1 linux-gcp-7.0 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-8728-2 linux-azure-7.0 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-8728-3 linux-oracle-7.0 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-8593-1 linux-ibm, linux-oracle vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 9, 2026
- USN-8664-1 linux-nvidia-bos vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 9, 2026
- USN-8603-1 linux-azure, linux-azure-fde vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 9, 2026
- USN-8663-1 linux-nvidia, linux-nvidia-7.0 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 9, 2026
- USN-8618-1 linux-aws, linux-raspi vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 9, 2026
- USN-8566-1 linux, linux-gcp, linux-gke, linux-realtime vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 7, 2026
- USN-8569-1 linux-hwe-7.0 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 7, 2026
- USN-8568-1 linux-oem-7.0 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 7, 2026
- ALAS2023-2026-1754 Important: kernel6.18 security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Jul 29, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:11014-1 kernel-devel-7.0.12-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jun 13, 2026