Missing vector length check in Linux KVM arm64 SVE vCPU setup
Key facts
- Attack vector
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- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
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- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Fixed
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
The Linux kernel from 6.16 is affected in its KVM arm64 pKVM SVE setup. The pkvm_vcpu_init_sve() function clamps only the upper bound of the host-provided SVE vector length, so an invalid length reaches a WARN_ON() that is fatal at EL2.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: arm64: Validate the SVE vector length in pkvm_vcpu_init_sve() pkvm_vcpu_init_sve() clamps only the upper bound of the host-provided sve_max_vl, so an invalid vector length reaches sve_state_size_from_vl() and the WARN_ON() there, which is fatal at EL2. The existing !sve_state_size test rejects such a length, but only after the macro has run. Check sve_vl_valid() before deriving the state size. A valid length cannot yield a zero size, so the !sve_state_size test goes with it.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
Fixed versions of the Linux kernel are 6.18.55, 7.2.9 and 7.3.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.18.55, 7.2.9, 7.3
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
Not affected: 7 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5
Timeline
- 2026-10-18 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-98638
- 2026-10-18 Alias added: GHSA-jqwq-p3w6-jffx
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-21 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-21 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
More Linux vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2021-02452 Incorrect authorization in Ubuntu linux kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- 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
Sources
- CVE-2026-98638 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98638 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-jqwq-p3w6-jffx · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98638 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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