CVE-2021-47465

KVM: PPC: Book3S HV: Fix stack handling in idle_kvm_start_guest()

MEDIUM
5.5
CVSS Score
Published: May 22, 2024 at 06:23 AM UTC
Updated: August 5, 2026 at 09:24 AM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorLinux Kernel

Using Linux by Linux?

Get instant alerts when new vulnerabilities affect Linux - before attackers find them.

Real-time alertsTrack your software stackFree plan available
Severity
MEDIUM5.5
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.2%
SSVC
No known exploit

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: PPC: Book3S HV: Fix stack handling in idle_kvm_start_guest() In commit 10d91611f426 ("powerpc/64s: Reimplement book3s idle code in C") kvm_start_guest() became idle_kvm_start_guest(). The old code allocated a stack frame on the emergency stack, but didn't use the frame to store anything, and also didn't store anything in its caller's frame. idle_kvm_start_guest() on the other hand is written more like a normal C function, it creates a frame on entry, and also stores CR/LR into its callers frame (per the ABI). The problem is that there is no caller frame on the emergency stack. The emergency stack for a given CPU is allocated with: paca_ptrs[i]->emergency_sp = alloc_stack(limit, i) + THREAD_SIZE; So emergency_sp actually points to the first address above the emergency stack allocation for a given CPU, we must not store above it without first decrementing it to create a frame. This is different to the regular kernel stack, paca->kstack, which is initialised to point at an initial frame that is ready to use. idle_kvm_start_guest() stores the backchain, CR and LR all of which write outside the allocation for the emergency stack. It then creates a stack frame and saves the non-volatile registers. Unfortunately the frame it creates is not large enough to fit the non-volatiles, and so the saving of the non-volatile registers also writes outside the emergency stack allocation. The end result is that we corrupt whatever is at 0-24 bytes, and 112-248 bytes above the emergency stack allocation. In practice this has gone unnoticed because the memory immediately above the emergency stack happens to be used for other stack allocations, either another CPUs mc_emergency_sp or an IRQ stack. See the order of calls to irqstack_early_init() and emergency_stack_init(). The low addresses of another stack are the top of that stack, and so are only used if that stack is under extreme pressue, which essentially never happens in practice - and if it did there's a high likelyhood we'd crash due to that stack overflowing. Still, we shouldn't be corrupting someone else's stack, and it is purely luck that we aren't corrupting something else. To fix it we save CR/LR into the caller's frame using the existing r1 on entry, we then create a SWITCH_FRAME_SIZE frame (which has space for pt_regs) on the emergency stack with the backchain pointing to the existing stack, and then finally we switch to the new frame on the emergency stack.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

5.11 ≤ v < 5.14.155.2 ≤ v < 5.10.765.2 ≤ v < 5.14.155.2 ≤ v < 5.155.2 ≤ v < 5.4.1565.5 ≤ v < 5.10.7610d91611f426d4bafd2a83d966c36da811b2f7ad5.15 rc15.15 rc25.15 rc35.15 rc45.15 rc55.2
Vendor states this is fixed in 6d077c37c4643394b1bae9682da48164fc147ea8 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 80bbb0bc3a0288442f7fe6fc514f4ee1cb06ccb7 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 9b4416c5095c20e110c82ae602c254099b83b72f (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in fbd724c49bead048ae9fc1a5b7bff2fb3e54f855 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.10.76 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.14.15 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.15 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.2 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.4.156 (unaffected)

References (4)

Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6d077c37c4643394b1bae9682da48164fc147ea8
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/80bbb0bc3a0288442f7fe6fc514f4ee1cb06ccb7
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9b4416c5095c20e110c82ae602c254099b83b72f
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fbd724c49bead048ae9fc1a5b7bff2fb3e54f855

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitNot automatablePartial impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

Attack Vector
LOCAL
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
LOW
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
NONE
Integrity
NONE
Availability
HIGH
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusANALYZED
CWE
CWE-674

Get alerted

Stop reading CVE feeds looking for your own stack

Track the products you run and VulnTracker tells you when a new CVE affects them — with what is known about fixing it, and nothing about the rest.

Free plan, no card