KVM: SVM: WARN on vNMI + NMI window iff NMIs are outright masked
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 5 fixed, 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: SVM: WARN on vNMI + NMI window iff NMIs are outright masked When requesting an NMI window, WARN on vNMI support being enabled if and only if NMIs are actually masked, i.e. if the vCPU is already handling an NMI. KVM's ABI for NMIs that arrive simultanesouly (from KVM's point of view) is to inject one NMI and pend the other. When using vNMI, KVM pends the second NMI simply by setting V_NMI_PENDING, and lets the CPU do the rest (hardware automatically sets V_NMI_BLOCKING when an NMI is injected). However, if KVM can't immediately inject an NMI, e.g. because the vCPU is in an STI shadow or is running with GIF=0, then KVM will request an NMI window and trigger the WARN (but still function correctly). Whether or not the GIF=0 case makes sense is debatable, as the intent of KVM's behavior is to provide functionality that is as close to real hardware as possible. E.g. if two NMIs are sent in quick succession, the probability of both NMIs arriving in an STI shadow is infinitesimally low on real hardware, but significantly larger in a virtual environment, e.g. if the vCPU is preempted in the STI shadow. For GIF=0, the argument isn't as clear cut, because the window where two NMIs can collide is much larger in bare metal (though still small). That said, KVM should not have divergent behavior for the GIF=0 case based on whether or not vNMI support is enabled. And KVM has allowed simultaneous NMIs with GIF=0 for over a decade, since commit 7460fb4a3400 ("KVM: Fix simultaneous NMIs"). I.e. KVM's GIF=0 handling shouldn't be modified without a *really* good reason to do so, and if KVM's behavior were to be modified, it should be done irrespective of vNMI support.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.4 and later | 6.6.34, 6.9.5, 6.10 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.4 and later Fixed in 6.6.34, 6.9.5, 6.10 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 3
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 6.4; 6.6 to before 6.6.34; 6.9 to before 6.9.5 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.10.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.10.0 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.10.0:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.10.0 rc2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 6.4; 6.6 to before 6.6.34; 6.9 to before 6.9.5 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.10.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.10.0 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.10.0:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.10.0 rc2 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.6.34, 6.9.5, 6.10
Red Hat 1 advisory
- RHSA-2024:8162 Released 2024-10-16 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-427.40.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-427.40.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-427.40.1.el9_4 +11
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) bpftool-7.3.0-427.40.1.el9_4, kernel-5.14.0-427.40.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-5.14.0-427.40.1.el9_4 +29
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 9) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-427.40.1.el9_4, libperf-5.14.0-427.40.1.el9_4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-427.40.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-427.40.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-427.40.1.el9_4 +11
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-427.40.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-427.40.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-427.40.1.el9_4 +9
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8162 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8162 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8162 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8162 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8162 |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2024-39483
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-jx29-mm4x-qpqh
References
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
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Sources
- CVE-2024-39483 · CVE Program
- CVE-2024-39483 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-jx29-mm4x-qpqh · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2024-39483 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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