Linux Kernel up to 6.17.3 KVM assert_host_shared_guest denial of service

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability labeled as critical has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.17.3. Affected by this vulnerability is the function assert_host_shared_guest of the component KVM. The manipulation results in denial of service. This vulnerability is cataloged as CVE-2025-40184. There is no exploit available. The affected component should be upgraded.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability classified as critical has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.17.3. Affected is the function assert_host_shared_guest of the component KVM. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a denial of service vulnerability. CWE is classifying the issue as CWE-404. The product does not release or incorrectly releases a resource before it is made available for re-use. This is going to have an impact on availability. CVE summarizes:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: arm64: Fix debug checking for np-guests using huge mappings When running with transparent huge pages and CONFIG_NVHE_EL2_DEBUG then the debug checking in assert_host_shared_guest() fails on the launch of an np-guest. This WARN_ON() causes a panic and generates the stack below. In __pkvm_host_relax_perms_guest() the debug checking assumes the mapping is a single page but it may be a block map. Update the checking so that the size is not checked and just assumes the correct size. While we're here make the same fix in __pkvm_host_mkyoung_guest(). Info: # lkvm run -k /share/arch/arm64/boot/Image -m 704 -c 8 --name guest-128 Info: Removed ghost socket file "/.lkvm//guest-128.sock". [ 1406.521757] kvm [141]: nVHE hyp BUG at: arch/arm64/kvm/hyp/nvhe/mem_protect.c:1088! [ 1406.521804] kvm [141]: nVHE call trace: [ 1406.521828] kvm [141]: [<ffff8000811676b4>] __kvm_nvhe_hyp_panic+0xb4/0xe8 [ 1406.521946] kvm [141]: [<ffff80008116d12c>] __kvm_nvhe_assert_host_shared_guest+0xb0/0x10c [ 1406.522049] kvm [141]: [<ffff80008116f068>] __kvm_nvhe___pkvm_host_relax_perms_guest+0x48/0x104 [ 1406.522157] kvm [141]: [<ffff800081169df8>] __kvm_nvhe_handle___pkvm_host_relax_perms_guest+0x64/0x7c [ 1406.522250] kvm [141]: [<ffff800081169f0c>] __kvm_nvhe_handle_trap+0x8c/0x1a8 [ 1406.522333] kvm [141]: [<ffff8000811680fc>] __kvm_nvhe___skip_pauth_save+0x4/0x4 [ 1406.522454] kvm [141]: ---[ end nVHE call trace ]--- [ 1406.522477] kvm [141]: Hyp Offset: 0xfffece8013600000 [ 1406.522554] Kernel panic - not syncing: HYP panic: [ 1406.522554] PS:834003c9 PC:0000b1806db6d170 ESR:00000000f2000800 [ 1406.522554] FAR:ffff8000804be420 HPFAR:0000000000804be0 PAR:0000000000000000 [ 1406.522554] VCPU:0000000000000000 [ 1406.523337] CPU: 3 UID: 0 PID: 141 Comm: kvm-vcpu-0 Not tainted 6.16.0-rc7 #97 PREEMPT [ 1406.523485] Hardware name: FVP Base RevC (DT) [ 1406.523566] Call trace: [ 1406.523629] show_stack+0x18/0x24 (C) [ 1406.523753] dump_stack_lvl+0xd4/0x108 [ 1406.523899] dump_stack+0x18/0x24 [ 1406.524040] panic+0x3d8/0x448 [ 1406.524184] nvhe_hyp_panic_handler+0x10c/0x23c [ 1406.524325] kvm_handle_guest_abort+0x68c/0x109c [ 1406.524500] handle_exit+0x60/0x17c [ 1406.524630] kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_run+0x2e0/0x8c0 [ 1406.524794] kvm_vcpu_ioctl+0x1a8/0x9cc [ 1406.524919] __arm64_sys_ioctl+0xac/0x104 [ 1406.525067] invoke_syscall+0x48/0x10c [ 1406.525189] el0_svc_common.constprop.0+0x40/0xe0 [ 1406.525322] do_el0_svc+0x1c/0x28 [ 1406.525441] el0_svc+0x38/0x120 [ 1406.525588] el0t_64_sync_handler+0x10c/0x138 [ 1406.525750] el0t_64_sync+0x1ac/0x1b0 [ 1406.525876] SMP: stopping secondary CPUs [ 1406.525965] Kernel Offset: disabled [ 1406.526032] CPU features: 0x0000,00000080,8e134ca1,9446773f [ 1406.526130] Memory Limit: none [ 1406.959099] ---[ end Kernel panic - not syncing: HYP panic: [ 1406.959099] PS:834003c9 PC:0000b1806db6d170 ESR:00000000f2000800 [ 1406.959099] FAR:ffff8000804be420 HPFAR:0000000000804be0 PAR:0000000000000000 [ 1406.959099] VCPU:0000000000000000 ]

The advisory is shared for download at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is traded as CVE-2025-40184 since 04/16/2025. The exploitability is told to be difficult. There are known technical details, but no exploit is available.

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 275342 (Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2025-40184), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

Upgrading to version 6.17.4 or 6.18-rc1 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 4f7af3d8a1177c807d1f2563c7c171700b020656/2ba972bf71cb71d2127ec6c3db1ceb6dd0c73173 is able to eliminate this problem. The bugfix is ready for download at git.kernel.org. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

The vulnerability is also documented in the databases at Tenable (275342) and CERT Bund (WID-SEC-2025-2595). Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.

Affected

• Google Container-Optimized OS
• Debian Linux
• Amazon Linux 2
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux
• SUSE Linux
• Oracle Linux
• SUSE openSUSE
• Open Source Linux Kernel
• RESF Rocky Linux

Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 6.17.0
• 6.17.1
• 6.17.2
• 6.17.3

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

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Entryinfo

Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.

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