CVE-2026-63941 Details
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: arm64: Correctly cap ZCR_EL2 provided by a guest hypervisor ZCR_EL2 can be updated by a VHE guest hypervisor either using ZCR_EL2 (which traps) or ZCR_EL1 (which does not trap). KVM handles both in different way: - on ZCR_EL2 trap, ZCR_EL2.LEN is immediately capped at the VM's own VL limit. This has the potential to break existing SW that relies on the full LEN field to be stateful. - on ZCR_EL1 access, we do absolutely nothing. On restoring the SVE context for an L2 guest, we directly restore the guest hypervisor's view of ZCR_EL2 into the physical ZCR_EL2. If the guest's view of the register was updated using the ZCR_EL2 accessor, the value has already been sanitised (with the caveat mentioned above). But if the guest used ZCR_EL1, the raw value is written into the HW, and the L2 guest can now access VLs that it shouldn't. Fix all the above by moving the VL capping to the restore points, ensuring that: - the HW is always programmed with a capped value, irrespective of the accessor being used, - the ZCR_EL2.LEN field is always completely stateful, irrespective of the accessor being used. Additionally, move ZCR_EL2 to be a sanitised register, ensuring that only the LEN field is actually stateful. This requires some creative construction of the RES0 mask, as the sysreg generation script does not yet generate RAZ/WI fields. [maz: rewrote commit message, tidy up access_zcr_el2()]
A vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's handling of the SVE Control Register (ZCR_EL2) for arm64 virtual machines. When a VHE guest hypervisor updates ZCR_EL2, the kernel improperly manages the ZCR_EL2.LEN field, which can disrupt software relying on its full, stateful representation. The issue arises because KVM treats ZCR_EL2 and ZCR_EL1 accesses inconsistently: ZCR_EL2 traps are immediately capped at the virtual machine's vector length limit, while ZCR_EL1 accesses are ignored. This mismanagement can allow an L2 guest to access vector lengths it shouldn't, particularly if the guest hypervisor uses ZCR_EL1 to update the register. The vulnerability has been addressed by ensuring that ZCR_EL2 is always programmed with a capped value, regardless of the access method, and by making ZCR_EL2 a sanitized register that only allows the LEN field to be stateful.
Users can upgrade to the latest version of the Linux kernel where this vulnerability has been fixed. Instructions for downloading the patched version are available on the Linux Kernel Archives.
Metrics
CVSS 4.0 Severity and Vector Strings:
No CVSS 4.0 data is available for this CVE.
CVSS 3.x Severity and Vector Strings:
No data available for CVSS Version 2.0 on this CVE.
No SSVC data is available for this CVE.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
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| URL | Source(s) | Tag(s) |
|---|---|---|
| https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/742a9b5ccd8c46caf983ca90c94f855466968e34 | kernel.org | |
| https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/83726330748981372bde86ed5411d7b306612991 | kernel.org |
Weakness Enumeration
No weakness enumeration is available for this CVE.
Affected Products
No affected product data is available for this CVE.
Change History
2 change records found show changes
| Date | Action | Recorded By |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 20, 2026 | CVE Modified | kernel.org |
| Jul 19, 2026 | New CVE Received | kernel.org |