KVM: nVMX: Service local TLB flushes on failed nested VM-Enter
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 5 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: nVMX: Service local TLB flushes on failed nested VM-Enter KVM services local TLB flushes on "full" nested VM-Exits (through __nested_vmx_vmexit()), but not if a nested VM-Enter fails (e.g. due to failed VMCS checks in nested_vmx_enter_non_root_mode()). However, it is possible that KVM had queued TLB flushes that need to be performed, even if the nested VM-Enter was not successful. For example, if VPID is disabled for L2 (via nested_vmx_transition_tlb_flush(), or if via the MSR load lists, as the SDM says: If any MSR is being loaded in such a way that would architecturally require a TLB flush, the TLBs are updated so that, after VM entry, the logical processor will not use any translations that were cached before the transition. The SDM is unclear about when the TLB flush should occur, and whether or not a failed VM entry would flush the TLB, so it is safer to always do the TLB flush in this case. More concretely, KVM also updates the last VPID L1 used for L2 in nested_vmx_transition_tlb_flush() (i.e. last_vpid), even if the VM entry ultimately fails. With the current code, KVM could miss a TLB flush if L1 changes L2's VPID, then does a failed VM entry followed by a successful one, as the failed VM entry would update last_vpid but not actually flush the TLB. Servicing local TLB flushes on failed VM entries makes sure that the TLB is always flushed when last_vpid is updated.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.273, 5.15.221, 6.1.188, 6.6.157, 6.12.110, 6.18.51, 7.2.5, 7.3
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 yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | 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-2026-89930
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-j569-2qg3-pw8x
- 2026-10-16 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-16 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-24 CVSS score changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@b577a7cd6d984dd430af88ee1c9e03da71b73ee0 · CNA
- 2026-10-30 1 new reference · CNA
References
Other 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b577a7cd6d984dd430af88ee1c9e03da71b73ee0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c0c66cd575e31218da6a7d104c6ef80b0830b60c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1025b938dc439b75c720a568a855a13eeb245686
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/312cdb6d8940827dea63a7a52fb714a5049f06d1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f74fccdf4f7fb0780cd84944108d35f3d9dc46a7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c43563e7518e65ec6ccaa6a65f84c5af5ca5d379
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/62c3ee4c9f0e2efef5157358b3549e50ede96d73
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/05a0b701d1089fb57beeb8982f23c3bbafe0fa8b
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Sources
- CVE-2026-89930 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-89930 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-j569-2qg3-pw8x · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-89930 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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