CVE-2022-49882 (GCVE-0-2022-49882)
Vulnerability from cvelistv5
Published
2025-05-01 14:10
Modified
2026-10-15 21:21
Severity ?
VLAI Severity ?
EPSS score ?
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
KVM: Reject attempts to consume or refresh inactive gfn_to_pfn_cache
Reject kvm_gpc_check() and kvm_gpc_refresh() if the cache is inactive.
Not checking the active flag during refresh is particularly egregious, as
KVM can end up with a valid, inactive cache, which can lead to a variety
of use-after-free bugs, e.g. consuming a NULL kernel pointer or missing
an mmu_notifier invalidation due to the cache not being on the list of
gfns to invalidate.
Note, "active" needs to be set if and only if the cache is on the list
of caches, i.e. is reachable via mmu_notifier events. If a relevant
mmu_notifier event occurs while the cache is "active" but not on the
list, KVM will not acquire the cache's lock and so will not serailize
the mmu_notifier event with active users and/or kvm_gpc_refresh().
A race between KVM_XEN_ATTR_TYPE_SHARED_INFO and KVM_XEN_HVM_EVTCHN_SEND
can be exploited to trigger the bug.
1. Deactivate shinfo cache:
kvm_xen_hvm_set_attr
case KVM_XEN_ATTR_TYPE_SHARED_INFO
kvm_gpc_deactivate
kvm_gpc_unmap
gpc->valid = false
gpc->khva = NULL
gpc->active = false
Result: active = false, valid = false
2. Cause cache refresh:
kvm_arch_vm_ioctl
case KVM_XEN_HVM_EVTCHN_SEND
kvm_xen_hvm_evtchn_send
kvm_xen_set_evtchn
kvm_xen_set_evtchn_fast
kvm_gpc_check
return -EWOULDBLOCK because !gpc->valid
kvm_xen_set_evtchn_fast
return -EWOULDBLOCK
kvm_gpc_refresh
hva_to_pfn_retry
gpc->valid = true
gpc->khva = not NULL
Result: active = false, valid = true
3. Race ioctl KVM_XEN_HVM_EVTCHN_SEND against ioctl
KVM_XEN_ATTR_TYPE_SHARED_INFO:
kvm_arch_vm_ioctl
case KVM_XEN_HVM_EVTCHN_SEND
kvm_xen_hvm_evtchn_send
kvm_xen_set_evtchn
kvm_xen_set_evtchn_fast
read_lock gpc->lock
kvm_xen_hvm_set_attr case
KVM_XEN_ATTR_TYPE_SHARED_INFO
mutex_lock kvm->lock
kvm_xen_shared_info_init
kvm_gpc_activate
gpc->khva = NULL
kvm_gpc_check
[ Check passes because gpc->valid is
still true, even though gpc->khva
is already NULL. ]
shinfo = gpc->khva
pending_bits = shinfo->evtchn_pending
CRASH: test_and_set_bit(..., pending_bits)
References
Impacted products
{
"containers": {
"adp": [
{
"metrics": [
{
"other": {
"content": {
"id": "CVE-2022-49882",
"options": [
{
"Exploitation": "none"
},
{
"Automatable": "no"
},
{
"Technical Impact": "total"
}
],
"role": "CISA Coordinator",
"timestamp": "2026-10-15T21:18:23.569491Z",
"version": "2.0.3"
},
"type": "ssvc"
}
}
],
"providerMetadata": {
"dateUpdated": "2026-10-15T21:21:08.416Z",
"orgId": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0",
"shortName": "CISA-ADP"
},
"title": "CISA ADP Vulnrichment"
}
],
"cna": {
"affected": [
{
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"product": "Linux",
"programFiles": [
"virt/kvm/pfncache.c"
],
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"vendor": "Linux",
"versions": [
{
"lessThan": "bfa9672f8fc9eb118124bab61899d2dd497f95ba",
"status": "affected",
"version": "982ed0de4753ed6e71dbd40f82a5a066baf133ed",
"versionType": "git"
},
{
"lessThan": "ecbcf030b45666ad11bc98565e71dfbcb7be4393",
"status": "affected",
"version": "982ed0de4753ed6e71dbd40f82a5a066baf133ed",
"versionType": "git"
}
]
},
{
"defaultStatus": "affected",
"product": "Linux",
"programFiles": [
"virt/kvm/pfncache.c"
],
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"vendor": "Linux",
"versions": [
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "5.17"
},
{
"lessThan": "5.17",
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "0",
"versionType": "semver"
},
{
"lessThanOrEqual": "6.0.*",
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "6.0.8",
"versionType": "semver"
},
{
"lessThanOrEqual": "*",
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "6.1",
"versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
}
]
}
],
"cpeApplicability": [
{
"nodes": [
{
"cpeMatch": [
{
"criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"versionEndExcluding": "6.0.8",
"versionStartIncluding": "5.17",
"vulnerable": true
},
{
"criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"versionEndExcluding": "6.1",
"versionStartIncluding": "5.17",
"vulnerable": true
}
],
"negate": false,
"operator": "OR"
}
]
}
],
"descriptions": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nKVM: Reject attempts to consume or refresh inactive gfn_to_pfn_cache\n\nReject kvm_gpc_check() and kvm_gpc_refresh() if the cache is inactive.\nNot checking the active flag during refresh is particularly egregious, as\nKVM can end up with a valid, inactive cache, which can lead to a variety\nof use-after-free bugs, e.g. consuming a NULL kernel pointer or missing\nan mmu_notifier invalidation due to the cache not being on the list of\ngfns to invalidate.\n\nNote, \"active\" needs to be set if and only if the cache is on the list\nof caches, i.e. is reachable via mmu_notifier events. If a relevant\nmmu_notifier event occurs while the cache is \"active\" but not on the\nlist, KVM will not acquire the cache\u0027s lock and so will not serailize\nthe mmu_notifier event with active users and/or kvm_gpc_refresh().\n\nA race between KVM_XEN_ATTR_TYPE_SHARED_INFO and KVM_XEN_HVM_EVTCHN_SEND\ncan be exploited to trigger the bug.\n\n1. Deactivate shinfo cache:\n\nkvm_xen_hvm_set_attr\ncase KVM_XEN_ATTR_TYPE_SHARED_INFO\n kvm_gpc_deactivate\n kvm_gpc_unmap\n gpc-\u003evalid = false\n gpc-\u003ekhva = NULL\n gpc-\u003eactive = false\n\nResult: active = false, valid = false\n\n2. Cause cache refresh:\n\nkvm_arch_vm_ioctl\ncase KVM_XEN_HVM_EVTCHN_SEND\n kvm_xen_hvm_evtchn_send\n kvm_xen_set_evtchn\n kvm_xen_set_evtchn_fast\n kvm_gpc_check\n return -EWOULDBLOCK because !gpc-\u003evalid\n kvm_xen_set_evtchn_fast\n return -EWOULDBLOCK\n kvm_gpc_refresh\n hva_to_pfn_retry\n gpc-\u003evalid = true\n gpc-\u003ekhva = not NULL\n\nResult: active = false, valid = true\n\n3. Race ioctl KVM_XEN_HVM_EVTCHN_SEND against ioctl\nKVM_XEN_ATTR_TYPE_SHARED_INFO:\n\nkvm_arch_vm_ioctl\ncase KVM_XEN_HVM_EVTCHN_SEND\n kvm_xen_hvm_evtchn_send\n kvm_xen_set_evtchn\n kvm_xen_set_evtchn_fast\n read_lock gpc-\u003elock\n kvm_xen_hvm_set_attr case\n KVM_XEN_ATTR_TYPE_SHARED_INFO\n mutex_lock kvm-\u003elock\n kvm_xen_shared_info_init\n kvm_gpc_activate\n gpc-\u003ekhva = NULL\n kvm_gpc_check\n [ Check passes because gpc-\u003evalid is\n still true, even though gpc-\u003ekhva\n is already NULL. ]\n shinfo = gpc-\u003ekhva\n pending_bits = shinfo-\u003eevtchn_pending\n CRASH: test_and_set_bit(..., pending_bits)"
}
],
"metrics": [
{
"cvssV3_1": {
"baseScore": 7.8,
"baseSeverity": "HIGH",
"vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"version": "3.1"
},
"scenarios": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "AV:L - The vulnerability is reached via KVM VM ioctls (KVM_XEN_HVM_SET_ATTR / KVM_XEN_HVM_EVTCHN_SEND) on a locally opened /dev/kvm VM file descriptor, not via network packets or physical device access.\nAC:L - The attacker fully controls both sides of the race by issuing concurrent KVM_XEN_ATTR_TYPE_SHARED_INFO and KVM_XEN_HVM_EVTCHN_SEND ioctls from multiple threads, so success does not depend on conditions outside attacker control.\nPR:L - Exploitation requires only the ability to open /dev/kvm and create a VM; no CAP_SYS_ADMIN or other root capability is checked on the Xen attribute/evtchn ioctl path, and /dev/kvm is commonly accessible to unprivileged users in the kvm group.\nUI:N - The attacker triggers the race entirely through their own ioctl calls; no victim action such as mounting a filesystem or opening a crafted file is required.\nS:U - This is a host-userspace-to-host-kernel bug triggered by the VMM holding the VM fd, not a guest-to-host escape, so the impact remains within the same security authority as the attacker.\nC:H - A valid-but-inactive cache misses mmu_notifier invalidation and yields a use-after-free on the cached host mapping, which per kernel UAF guidance enables arbitrary memory disclosure.\nI:H - The same UAF leaves KVM writing through a stale khva (e.g. test_and_set_bit on evtchn_pending), enabling heap corruption and control-flow hijacking primitives.\nA:H - The demonstrated race causes a NULL-pointer dereference (test_and_set_bit on gpc-\u003ekhva==NULL) leading to a kernel oops/panic, and the UAF path similarly crashes the host."
}
]
}
],
"providerMetadata": {
"dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T08:56:30.803Z",
"orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"shortName": "Linux"
},
"references": [
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bfa9672f8fc9eb118124bab61899d2dd497f95ba"
},
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ecbcf030b45666ad11bc98565e71dfbcb7be4393"
}
],
"title": "KVM: Reject attempts to consume or refresh inactive gfn_to_pfn_cache",
"x_generator": {
"engine": "bippy-1.2.0"
}
}
},
"cveMetadata": {
"assignerOrgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"assignerShortName": "Linux",
"cveId": "CVE-2022-49882",
"datePublished": "2025-05-01T14:10:29.213Z",
"dateReserved": "2025-05-01T14:05:17.241Z",
"dateUpdated": "2026-10-15T21:21:08.416Z",
"state": "PUBLISHED"
},
"dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
"dataVersion": "5.2"
}
Loading…
Loading…
Sightings
| Author | Source | Type | Date |
|---|
Nomenclature
- Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or seen somewhere by the user.
- Confirmed: The vulnerability is confirmed from an analyst perspective.
- Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
- Exploited: This vulnerability was exploited and seen by the user reporting the sighting.
- Patched: This vulnerability was successfully patched by the user reporting the sighting.
- Not exploited: This vulnerability was not exploited or seen by the user reporting the sighting.
- Not confirmed: The user expresses doubt about the veracity of the vulnerability.
- Not patched: This vulnerability was not successfully patched by the user reporting the sighting.
Loading…
Loading…