HIGH Introduced in 5.15
vfio-ap PqapHook UAF
CVE-2026-89960
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
KernelScan AI6.5MEDIUM
01Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: s390/vfio-ap: fix stale pqap_hook pointer on error in vfio_ap_mdev_set_kvm() In vfio_ap_mdev_set_kvm(), kvm->arch.crypto.pqap_hook is set to &matrix_mdev->pqap_hook before the update locks are acquired and the mdev list is checked for a conflicting assignment. If another mdev is already attached to the same KVM instance, the function returns -EPERM without restoring the hook pointer, leaving kvm->arch.crypto.pqap_hook pointing at the failing matrix_mdev instead of the mdev that legitimately owns the KVM. Since matrix_mdev->kvm is never set on this error path, vfio_ap_mdev_unset_kvm() will not clean up the hook when matrix_mdev is later closed. If matrix_mdev is subsequently freed, any PQAP instruction executed by the guest will dereference the stale pointer through pqap_hook_rwsem, resulting in a use-after-free. Since kvm->arch.crypto.pqap_hook is only set in the vfio_ap_mdev_set_kvm() function and is cleared in the vfio_ap_mdev_unset_kvm() function, a check for 'kvm->arch.crypto.pqap_hook != NULL' is all that is needed to determine whether it belongs to another mdev. This will alleviate the need to iterate the matrix_dev->mdev_list list to see if the kvm object is assigned to another mdev.This was introduced in v3 to alleviate the need to take the mdevs_lock while iterating the list; however, this did not prevent a potential race condition. The pqap_hook_rwsem(write) is now performed inside get_update_locks_for_kvm(), which is updated to acquire pqap_hook_rwsem(write) between kvm->lock and mdevs_lock. This ordering is consistent with the PQAP intercept path, which acquires pqap_hook_rwsem in read mode while srcu is held under vcpu->mutex, establishing the dependency: kvm->lock -> vcpu->mutex -> srcu -> pqap_hook_rwsem(read). The pqap_hook_rwsem is now released inside the release_update_locks_for_kvm(), which is updated to release pqap_hook_rwsem(write) between mdevs_lock and kvm->lock. Additionally, kvm_put_kvm() in vfio_ap_mdev_unset_kvm() is moved after release_update_locks_for_kvm(). Previously it was called while kvm->lock was held; if it were ever the last reference, kvm_destroy_vm() would run under kvm->lock, which would deadlock.
02KernelScan AI Analysis
Risk summary
A local user with access to vfio-ap devices on an s390 KVM host can trigger a stale pointer in the kernel's vfio-ap subsystem when a mediated device assignment fails. A guest VM subsequently executing a cryptographic instruction dereferences the freed pointer, resulting in a use-after-free that can crash the host kernel or potentially lead to arbitrary kernel memory corruption. This requires s390 hardware with vfio-ap and KVM configured.
Vulnerability analysis
When a vfio-ap mediated device is attached to a KVM guest, the kernel installs a guest-visible callback pointer before checking whether another device is already assigned to the same guest. If such a conflict is found, the setup returns an error without restoring the original pointer, leaving it aimed at the failing device. Because the failing device's association with the guest is never finalized, the normal cleanup path does not clear the stale pointer when that device is later freed. When the guest later executes a cryptographic instruction, the host kernel dereferences the dangling pointer, causing memory corruption or a crash. The fix defers the pointer update until after the conflict check and strengthens the locking around the callback to prevent the stale-pointer situation as well as races between simultaneous setup and teardown operations. The flaw can be reached by a local user with access to the vfio-ap mediated-device interface on s390 systems running KVM.
Lifecycle
03Fix Versions
| Branch | Introduced | Fixed in | Patch commit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.12 | 5.15 | 6.12.110 | 6a180adafc2a |
| 6.18 | 5.15 | 6.18.51 | fc069d00a0db |
| 6.6 | 5.15 | 6.6.157 | eb6cc898501a |
| 7.2 | 5.15 | 7.2.5 | 13bfc94eef38 |
| mainline | 5.15 | 7.3 | 4400270ec034 |
| cip/6.12 | 5.15 | 6.12.111-cip32 | 6a180adafc2a |
04CIP Kernels
State of the newest release of each Civil Infrastructure Platform SLTS tree, from CIP's own fix records.
| CIP tree | State |
|---|---|
| cip/6.12 | Fixed in 6.12.111-cip32 |
| cip/6.1 | Affected — no CIP fix yet (latest 6.1.189-cip61) |
| cip/6.1-rt | Affected — no CIP fix yet (latest 6.1.189-cip61-rt32) |