CVE-2021-47094·Kernel vulnerability
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: x86/mmu: Don't advance iterator after restart due to yielding After dropping mmu_lock in the TDP MMU, restart the iterator during tdp_iter_next() and do not advance the iterator. Advancing the iterator results in skipping the top-level SPTE and all its children, which is fatal if any of the skipped SPTEs were not visited before yielding. When zapping all SPTEs, i.e. when min_level == root_level, restarting the iter and then invoking tdp_iter_next() is always fatal if the current gfn has as a valid SPTE, as advancing the iterator results in try_step_side() skipping the current gfn, which wasn't visited before yielding. Sprinkle WARNs on iter->yielded being true in various helpers that are often used in conjunction with yielding, and tag the helper with __must_check to reduce the probabily of improper usage. Failing to zap a top-level SPTE manifests in one of two ways. If a valid SPTE is skipped by both kvm_tdp_mmu_zap_all() and kvm_tdp_mmu_put_root(), the shadow page will be leaked and KVM will WARN accordingly. WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 3509 at arch/x86/kvm/mmu/tdp_mmu.c:46 [kvm] RIP: 0010:kvm_mmu_uninit_tdp_mmu+0x3e/0x50 [kvm] Call Trace: <TASK> kvm_arch_destroy_vm+0x130/0x1b0 [kvm] kvm_destroy_vm+0x162/0x2a0 [kvm] kvm_vcpu_release+0x34/0x60 [kvm] __fput+0x82/0x240 task_work_run+0x5c/0x90 do_exit+0x364/0xa10 ? futex_unqueue+0x38/0x60 do_group_exit+0x33/0xa0 get_signal+0x155/0x850 arch_do_signal_or_restart+0xed/0x750 exit_to_user_mode_prepare+0xc5/0x120 syscall_exit_to_user_mode+0x1d/0x40 do_syscall_64+0x48/0xc0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae If kvm_tdp_mmu_zap_all() skips a gfn/SPTE but that SPTE is then zapped by kvm_tdp_mmu_put_root(), KVM triggers a use-after-free in the form of marking a struct page as dirty/accessed after it has been put back on the free list. This directly triggers a WARN due to encountering a page with page_count() == 0, but it can also lead to data corruption and additional errors in the kernel. WARNING: CPU: 7 PID: 1995658 at arch/x86/kvm/../../../virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:171 RIP: 0010:kvm_is_zone_device_pfn.part.0+0x9e/0xd0 [kvm] Call Trace: <TASK> kvm_set_pfn_dirty+0x120/0x1d0 [kvm] __handle_changed_spte+0x92e/0xca0 [kvm] __handle_changed_spte+0x63c/0xca0 [kvm] __handle_changed_spte+0x63c/0xca0 [kvm] __handle_changed_spte+0x63c/0xca0 [kvm] zap_gfn_range+0x549/0x620 [kvm] kvm_tdp_mmu_put_root+0x1b6/0x270 [kvm] mmu_free_root_page+0x219/0x2c0 [kvm] kvm_mmu_free_roots+0x1b4/0x4e0 [kvm] kvm_mmu_unload+0x1c/0xa0 [kvm] kvm_arch_destroy_vm+0x1f2/0x5c0 [kvm] kvm_put_kvm+0x3b1/0x8b0 [kvm] kvm_vcpu_release+0x4e/0x70 [kvm] __fput+0x1f7/0x8c0 task_work_run+0xf8/0x1a0 do_exit+0x97b/0x2230 do_group_exit+0xda/0x2a0 get_signal+0x3be/0x1e50 arch_do_signal_or_restart+0x244/0x17f0 exit_to_user_mode_prepare+0xcb/0x120 syscall_exit_to_user_mode+0x1d/0x40 do_syscall_64+0x4d/0x90 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae Note, the underlying bug existed even before commit 1af4a96025b3 ("KVM: x86/mmu: Yield in TDU MMU iter even if no SPTES changed") moved calls to tdp_mmu_iter_cond_resched() to the beginning of loops, as KVM could still incorrectly advance past a top-level entry when yielding on a lower-level entry. But with respect to leaking shadow pages, the bug was introduced by yielding before processing the current gfn. Alternatively, tdp_mmu_iter_cond_resched() could simply fall through, or callers could jump to their "retry" label. The downside of that approach is that tdp_mmu_iter_cond_resched() _must_ be called before anything else in the loop, and there's no easy way to enfornce that requirement. Ideally, KVM would handling the cond_resched() fully within the iterator macro (the code is actually quite clean) and avoid this entire class of bugs, but that is extremely difficult do wh ---truncated---
- Severity
- high
- Software
- Kernel
- Fixed in
- 5.15.12
- Published
- 2024-03-04
Affected versions
From: 5.10
Until: 5.15.12
Fixed in: 5.15.12
How to fix this CVE
Update your Linux kernel to version 5.15.12 or later to fix a critical TDP MMU iterator bug that can cause shadow page leaks and use-after-free conditions in KVM virtual machines. This vulnerability affects kernel versions 5.10 through 5.15.11 and requires immediate patching to prevent memory corruption and potential system instability.
sudo dnf update kernel kernel-develDefensia detects this vulnerability
How to check if you are affected
- Run 'uname -r' to check the currently running kernel version
- Verify if KVM/QEMU is enabled: check for 'kvm' module with 'lsmod | grep kvm'
- Search system logs for TDP MMU warnings: 'sudo grep -i "tdp_mmu\|kvm_mmu_uninit" /var/log/kern.log /var/log/messages'
- Confirm patch application by checking: 'grep -i '5.15.12' /boot/grub/grub.cfg' or 'cat /proc/version' after reboot
FAQ
What is CVE-2021-47094?
This vulnerability is a logic error in the Linux kernel's KVM TDP MMU iterator that causes it to skip shadow page table entries after yielding, leading to memory leaks and use-after-free conditions when managing virtual machine memory.
Is CVE-2021-47094 being actively exploited?
No, this vulnerability is not being actively exploited in the wild according to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and no public exploit code is available.
What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2021-47094?
Linux kernel versions 5.10.0 through 5.15.11 are vulnerable. Kernel 5.15.12 and later versions include the fix.
How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2021-47094?
Run 'uname -r' to display your kernel version. If it shows a version between 5.10 and 5.15.11 (inclusive), and you use KVM/QEMU virtualization, your system is vulnerable and requires immediate update.
Does Defensia detect CVE-2021-47094?
Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If Kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2021-47094 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.
Related Kernel CVEs
References
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