KVM: arm64: Don't retire aborted MMIO instruction
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: arm64: Don't retire aborted MMIO instruction Returning an abort to the guest for an unsupported MMIO access is a documented feature of the KVM UAPI. Nevertheless, it's clear that this plumbing has seen limited testing, since userspace can trivially cause a WARN in the MMIO return: WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 30558 at arch/arm64/include/asm/kvm_emulate.h:536 kvm_handle_mmio_return+0x46c/0x5c4 arch/arm64/include/asm/kvm_emulate.h:536 Call trace: kvm_handle_mmio_return+0x46c/0x5c4 arch/arm64/include/asm/kvm_emulate.h:536 kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_run+0x98/0x15b4 arch/arm64/kvm/arm.c:1133 kvm_vcpu_ioctl+0x75c/0xa78 virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:4487 __do_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:51 [inline] __se_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:893 [inline] __arm64_sys_ioctl+0x14c/0x1c8 fs/ioctl.c:893 __invoke_syscall arch/arm64/kernel/syscall.c:35 [inline] invoke_syscall+0x98/0x2b8 arch/arm64/kernel/syscall.c:49 el0_svc_common+0x1e0/0x23c arch/arm64/kernel/syscall.c:132 do_el0_svc+0x48/0x58 arch/arm64/kernel/syscall.c:151 el0_svc+0x38/0x68 arch/arm64/kernel/entry-common.c:712 el0t_64_sync_handler+0x90/0xfc arch/arm64/kernel/entry-common.c:730 el0t_64_sync+0x190/0x194 arch/arm64/kernel/entry.S:598 The splat is complaining that KVM is advancing PC while an exception is pending, i.e. that KVM is retiring the MMIO instruction despite a pending synchronous external abort. Womp womp. Fix the glaring UAPI bug by skipping over all the MMIO emulation in case there is a pending synchronous exception. Note that while userspace is capable of pending an asynchronous exception (SError, IRQ, or FIQ), it is still safe to retire the MMIO instruction in this case as (1) they are by definition asynchronous, and (2) KVM relies on hardware support for pending/delivering these exceptions instead of the software state machine for advancing PC.
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 | 5.5 and later | 6.1.120, 6.6.66, 6.11.11, 6.12.2, 6.13 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.5 and later Fixed in 6.1.120, 6.6.66, 6.11.11, 6.12.2, 6.13 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.5 to before 6.1.120; 6.2 to before 6.6.66; 6.7 to before 6.11.11; 6.12 to before 6.12.2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.5 to before 6.1.120; 6.2 to before 6.6.66; 6.7 to before 6.11.11; 6.12 to before 6.12.2 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.120, 6.6.66, 6.11.11, 6.12.2, 6.13
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
Not affected: 2 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2024-53196
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-6jh5-fcvp-frc9
- 2026-11-05 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Patch 5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6af853cf5f897d55f42e9166f4db50e84e404fb3
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ea6b5d98fea4ee8cb443ea98fda520909e90d30e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1e46460efe1ef9a31748de7675ff8fe0d8601af2
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d0571c3add987bcb69c2ffd7a70c998bf8ce60fb
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e735a5da64420a86be370b216c269b5dd8e830e2
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- TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2024-53196 · CVE Program
- CVE-2024-53196 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-6jh5-fcvp-frc9 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2024-53196 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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