CVE-2021-47639

KVM: x86/mmu: Zap _all_ roots when unmapping gfn range in TDP MMU

HIGH
7.8
CVSS Score
Published: February 26, 2025 at 01:54 AM UTC
Updated: August 5, 2026 at 09:24 AM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorLinux Kernel

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Severity
HIGH7.8
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.3%
SSVC
No known exploit

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: x86/mmu: Zap _all_ roots when unmapping gfn range in TDP MMU Zap both valid and invalid roots when zapping/unmapping a gfn range, as KVM must ensure it holds no references to the freed page after returning from the unmap operation. Most notably, the TDP MMU doesn't zap invalid roots in mmu_notifier callbacks. This leads to use-after-free and other issues if the mmu_notifier runs to completion while an invalid root zapper yields as KVM fails to honor the requirement that there must be _no_ references to the page after the mmu_notifier returns. The bug is most easily reproduced by hacking KVM to cause a collision between set_nx_huge_pages() and kvm_mmu_notifier_release(), but the bug exists between kvm_mmu_notifier_invalidate_range_start() and memslot updates as well. Invalidating a root ensures pages aren't accessible by the guest, and KVM won't read or write page data itself, but KVM will trigger e.g. kvm_set_pfn_dirty() when zapping SPTEs, and thus completing a zap of an invalid root _after_ the mmu_notifier returns is fatal. WARNING: CPU: 24 PID: 1496 at arch/x86/kvm/../../../virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:173 [kvm] RIP: 0010:kvm_is_zone_device_pfn+0x96/0xa0 [kvm] Call Trace: <TASK> kvm_set_pfn_dirty+0xa8/0xe0 [kvm] __handle_changed_spte+0x2ab/0x5e0 [kvm] __handle_changed_spte+0x2ab/0x5e0 [kvm] __handle_changed_spte+0x2ab/0x5e0 [kvm] zap_gfn_range+0x1f3/0x310 [kvm] kvm_tdp_mmu_zap_invalidated_roots+0x50/0x90 [kvm] kvm_mmu_zap_all_fast+0x177/0x1a0 [kvm] set_nx_huge_pages+0xb4/0x190 [kvm] param_attr_store+0x70/0x100 module_attr_store+0x19/0x30 kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x119/0x1b0 new_sync_write+0x11c/0x1b0 vfs_write+0x1cc/0x270 ksys_write+0x5f/0xe0 do_syscall_64+0x38/0xc0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae </TASK>

Affected

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

5.13 ≤ v < 5.15.335.13 ≤ v < 5.16.195.13 ≤ v < 5.17.25.13 ≤ v < 5.185.16 ≤ v < 5.16.195.17 ≤ v < 5.17.25.13b7cccd397f310739fb85383033e95580f99927e0
Vendor states this is fixed in 0c8a8da182d4333d9bbb9131d765145568c847b2 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 8cf6f98ab1d16d5e607635a0c21c4231eb15367e (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in af47248407c0c5ae52a752af1ab5ce5b0db91502 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in d62007edf01f5c11f75d0f4b1e538fc52a5b1982 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.13 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.15.33 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.16.19 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.17.2 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.18 (unaffected)

References (4)

Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0c8a8da182d4333d9bbb9131d765145568c847b2
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8cf6f98ab1d16d5e607635a0c21c4231eb15367e
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/af47248407c0c5ae52a752af1ab5ce5b0db91502
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d62007edf01f5c11f75d0f4b1e538fc52a5b1982

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitNot automatableTotal impact

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

CVSS

7.8HIGHLinux
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusANALYZED
CWE
CWE-416

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