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CVE-2026-98464

Linux: RISC-V: KVM: Synchronize hrtimer callback during teardown

Linux LinuxOperating systems
CVSS
NoneNot scored
ExploitationNo known exploitationNot in CISA KEV, which does not prove it is unexploitedCISA KEV
Exploit odds (EPSS)0.17%Chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 6% of CVEs. Scored 23 Oct 2026FIRST EPSS
Fixed in9bdbae64ae0dab93041ebc57ec4e93def793fc2dAlso 2af03b606aadaaeb386658ef798c79bdcdef87c1, 3cc6184bd5920c9685d87f4e260568feba08650dCVE List
Published18 Oct 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026CVE List

What fixes it

  • 9bdbae64ae0dab93041ebc57ec4e93def793fc2dLinuxCVE List
  • 2af03b606aadaaeb386658ef798c79bdcdef87c1LinuxCVE List
  • 3cc6184bd5920c9685d87f4e260568feba08650dLinuxCVE List

A fixed version on one release line is not the upgrade target for every line. Check your exact version and any vendor backports.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

RISC-V: KVM: Synchronize hrtimer callback during teardown

The non-Sstc hrtimer callback clears next_set before its final uses of the enclosing vCPU. If teardown observes next_set as false while the callback is still running, kvm_riscv_vcpu_timer_cancel() skips hrtimer_cancel() and kvm_destroy_vcpus() can free the vCPU before the callback enters kvm_riscv_vcpu_set_interrupt().

A guest can arm the timer with SBI TIME and request shutdown with SBI legacy shutdown or SRST. A VMM that honors KVM_EXIT_SYSTEM_EVENT and destroys the VM supplies the teardown side of the race; no post-launch host ioctl is needed to arm or request teardown.

On upstream master 62cc90241548, generic KASAN reported:

BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in do_raw_spin_lock Write of size 4 at addr ff60000005e58898

kvm_riscv_vcpu_set_interrupt kvm_riscv_vcpu_hrtimer_expired __hrtimer_run_queues hrtimer_interrupt

The object was allocated by KVM_CREATE_VCPU and freed concurrently by:

kvm_destroy_vcpus kvm_arch_destroy_vm kvm_destroy_vm __fput

For deterministic validation, I added mdelay(1000) immediately after the existing next_set = false assignment. This only widens the existing post-clear callback window. A no-delay trace build naturally reached the callback-after-teardown-start/before-deinit ordering in 12 of 200 runs, but 1,500 stock-kernel stress iterations did not produce a KASAN report, so natural reproduction is timing-sensitive.

Always invoke hrtimer_cancel() for an initialized timer. Preserve the existing -EINVAL result when the timer is no longer set, but only after synchronizing with a running callback.

With this patch, hrtimer_cancel() blocked for the full widened callback window before vCPU destruction. KASAN reported no error in 100 fixed-and-widened runs or 200 fix-only timing-sweep runs.

Text from CVE List

Affected versions 14

  • Linuxaffected: 3a9f66cb25e18a3eeca36c08d9f823a35b3ddc22 before 9bdbae64ae0dab93041ebc57ec4e93def793fc2dCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 3a9f66cb25e18a3eeca36c08d9f823a35b3ddc22 before 2af03b606aadaaeb386658ef798c79bdcdef87c1CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 3a9f66cb25e18a3eeca36c08d9f823a35b3ddc22 before e66aced74f0122380603c9910a71d77618b28f0eCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 3a9f66cb25e18a3eeca36c08d9f823a35b3ddc22 before ea91f05a55b807ead3166546a2c75f4185ca645fCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 3a9f66cb25e18a3eeca36c08d9f823a35b3ddc22 before 3cc6184bd5920c9685d87f4e260568feba08650dCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 3a9f66cb25e18a3eeca36c08d9f823a35b3ddc22 before aaad136d56d91252517272b68cd533e5714698d5CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 5.16CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: all versions before 5.16CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.1.189 through 6.1.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.6.158 through 6.6.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.12.112 through 6.12.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.18.55 through 6.18.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.2.9 through 7.2.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.3CVE List

References 6