HIGH
iommu PASID Race
CVE-2026-45945
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
KernelScan AI4.6MEDIUM
01Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iommu/vt-d: Fix race condition during PASID entry replacement The Intel VT-d PASID table entry is 512 bits (64 bytes). When replacing an active PASID entry (e.g., during domain replacement), the current implementation calculates a new entry on the stack and copies it to the table using a single structure assignment. struct pasid_entry *pte, new_pte; pte = intel_pasid_get_entry(dev, pasid); pasid_pte_config_first_level(iommu, &new_pte, ...); *pte = new_pte; Because the hardware may fetch the 512-bit PASID entry in multiple 128-bit chunks, updating the entire entry while it is active (Present bit set) risks a "torn" read. In this scenario, the IOMMU hardware could observe an inconsistent state — partially new data and partially old data — leading to unpredictable behavior or spurious faults. Fix this by removing the unsafe "replace" helpers and following the "clear-then-update" flow, which ensures the Present bit is cleared and the required invalidation handshake is completed before the new configuration is applied.
02KernelScan AI Analysis
Risk summary
Local users with low privileges can trigger a race condition in Intel VT-d IOMMU PASID entry updates during domain replacement, causing spurious IOMMU faults, unpredictable hardware behavior, or system crashes. The vulnerability affects systems with Intel VT-d when PASID entries are actively replaced while hardware may read them.
Vulnerability analysis
The root cause is an unsafe non-atomic update of a 512-bit PASID table entry while the Present bit is set. The original code performs a single structure assignment (*pte = new_pte) protected only by a spinlock, but Intel VT-d hardware fetches entries in 128-bit chunks. This creates a race window where hardware can observe a partially updated entry containing mixed old and new data, leading to unpredictable behavior or spurious faults. The fix removes the unsafe replace helpers and implements a clear-then-update flow that clears the Present bit, completes the required invalidation handshake, and only then applies the new configuration.
03Fix Versions
| Branch | Fixed in | Patch commit |
|---|---|---|
| 6.19 | 6.19.4 | 66a7aff480a8 |
| mainline | 7.0 | c3b1edea3791 |