Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
KVM: arm64: vgic: Fix race between LPI release and re-registration
Fix a potential race between decrementing an LPI's reference count and
evicting that structure from the LPI xarray.
LPI structures are maintained in the VGIC LPI xarray (dist->lpi_xa).
When the reference count of an LPI structure drops to zero,
vgic_release_lpi_locked() removes the structure from the xarray and
frees it under the xarray lock.
However, the release of an LPI can race with a concurrent LPI
re-registration with the same INTID via vgic_add_lpi() on another CPU,
since the reference count drop and the xarray eviction are not performed
in a single atomic step. This can happen e.g. if the guest issues a
DISCARD while the LPI is still referenced from a vCPU's active-pending
list (ap_list), and the same INTID is re-mapped via MAPTI.
Particularly, vgic_release_lpi_locked() is called from two distinct
paths: direct release via vgic_put_irq(), and deferred release via
vgic_release_deleted_lpis(). During direct release, the issue can result
in deleting a newly registered LPI from the xarray:
CPU0 (Releasing LPI) CPU1 (Adding new LPI)
==================== =====================
vgic_put_irq()
__vgic_put_irq()
refcount_dec_and_test()
vgic_add_lpi()
xa_lock_irqsave()
old_irq = xa_load(.., intid)
vgic_try_get_irq_ref(old_irq) == false
new IRQ inserted --> __xa_store(.., intid, ..)
xa_unlock_irqrestore()
xa_lock_irqsave();
vgic_release_lpi_locked()
__xa_erase(.., irq->intid) <-- BUG: new IRQ is erased
kfree_rcu(old_irq)
During the deferred release path, the old IRQ can be leaked:
CPU0 (Releasing LPI) CPU1 (Adding new LPI)
==================== =====================
vgic_put_irq_norelease()
__vgic_put_irq()
refcount_dec_and_test()
irq->pending_release = true
vgic_add_lpi()
xa_lock_irqsave()
old_irq = xa_load(.., intid)
vgic_try_get_irq_ref(oldirq) == false
BUG: old IRQ overwritten --> __xa_store(.., intid, ..)
xa_unlock_irqrestore()
vgic_release_deleted_lpis()
xa_lock_irqsave()
xa_for_each() { .. } <-- old IRQ with pending_release = true
is gone, so it cannot be released
To fix the direct release path, move the reference count drop inside
the xarray lock, making sure that vgic_add_lpi() never encounters the
to-be-released LPI.
In the deferred release path, the refcount drop must happen under a raw
spinlock, so the xarray lock cannot be grabbed, and the same solution
does not work. Instead, update vgic_add_lpi(), so that if it evicts
an LPI from the xarray, it takes on the responsibility of freeing it.
Consequently, an LPI may now be freed concurrently after a deferred
release drops the refcount, so accessing the pending_release field is no
longer safe from use-after-free. Delete all uses of the flag, and update
vgic_release_deleted_lpis() to identify orphaned LPIs purely based on
their refcount.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.17 | 6.18.57 |
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 | 7.1.8-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux | 7.0.0-43.43 | USN-9018-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-aws | 7.0.0-1017.18 | USN-9018-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-azure | 7.0.0-1020.21 | USN-9019-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde | 7.0.0-1019.19 | USN-9020-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-gcp | 7.0.0-1017.19 | USN-9018-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-gke | 7.0.0-1010.11 | USN-9020-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-ibm +1 | 7.0.0-1018.18 | USN-9018-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-oracle | 7.0.0-1016.18 | USN-9018-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-raspi | 7.0.0-1023.23 | USN-9021-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-realtime | 7.0.0-43.43.1 | USN-9020-1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | linux-riscv +2 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-aws-7.0 | 7.0.0-1017.18~24.04.1 | USN-9020-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde-7.0 | 7.0.0-1019.19~24.04.1 | USN-9020-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-gcp-7.0 | 7.0.0-1017.19~24.04.1 | USN-9020-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-hwe-7.0 | 7.0.0-43.43~24.04.1 | USN-9018-2 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-oracle-7.0 | 7.0.0-1016.18~24.04.1 | USN-9020-1 |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-riscv +29 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-riscv-7.0 | 7.0.0-43.43.1~24.04.2 | — |
| 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 +1 | No fix yet | — |
Advisories 6
- USN-9020-1 linux-aws-7.0, linux-azure-fde, linux-azure-fde-7.0, linux-gcp-7.0, linux-gke, linux-oracle-7.0, linux-realtime vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 13, 2026
- USN-9021-1 linux-raspi vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 13, 2026
- USN-9019-1 linux-azure vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 13, 2026
- USN-9018-2 linux-hwe-7.0 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 12, 2026
- WID-SEC-2026-2852 Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 12, 2026
- USN-9018-1 linux, linux-aws, linux-gcp, linux-ibm, linux-oem-7.0, linux-oracle vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Nov 11, 2026