CVE-2026-23102: arm64/fpsimd: signal: Fix restoration of SVE context
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
arm64/fpsimd: signal: Fix restoration of SVE context
When SME is supported, Restoring SVE signal context can go wrong in a
few ways, including placing the task into an invalid state where the
kernel may read from out-of-bounds memory (and may potentially take a
fatal fault) and/or may kill the task with a SIGKILL.
(1) Restoring a context with SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM set can place the task into
an invalid state where SVCR.SM is set (and sve_state is non-NULL)
but TIF_SME is clear, consequently resuting in out-of-bounds memory
reads and/or killing the task with SIGKILL.
This can only occur in unusual (but legitimate) cases where the SVE
signal context has either been modified by userspace or was saved in
the context of another task (e.g. as with CRIU), as otherwise the
presence of an SVE signal context with SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM implies that
TIF_SME is already set.
While in this state, task_fpsimd_load() will NOT configure SMCR_ELx
(leaving some arbitrary value configured in hardware) before
restoring SVCR and attempting to restore the streaming mode SVE
registers from memory via sve_load_state(). As the value of
SMCR_ELx.LEN may be larger than the task's streaming SVE vector
length, this may read memory outside of the task's allocated
sve_state, reading unrelated data and/or triggering a fault.
While this can result in secrets being loaded into streaming SVE
registers, these values are never exposed. As TIF_SME is clear,
fpsimd_bind_task_to_cpu() will configure CPACR_ELx.SMEN to trap EL0
accesses to streaming mode SVE registers, so these cannot be
accessed directly at EL0. As fpsimd_save_user_state() verifies the
live vector length before saving (S)SVE state to memory, no secret
values can be saved back to memory (and hence cannot be observed via
ptrace, signals, etc).
When the live vector length doesn't match the expected vector length
for the task, fpsimd_save_user_state() will send a fatal SIGKILL
signal to the task. Hence the task may be killed after executing
userspace for some period of time.
(2) Restoring a context with SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM clear does not clear the
task's SVCR.SM. If SVCR.SM was set prior to restoring the context,
then the task will be left in streaming mode unexpectedly, and some
register state will be combined inconsistently, though the task will
be left in legitimate state from the kernel's PoV.
This can only occur in unusual (but legitimate) cases where ptrace
has been used to set SVCR.SM after entry to the sigreturn syscall,
as syscall entry clears SVCR.SM.
In these cases, the the provided SVE register data will be loaded
into the task's sve_state using the non-streaming SVE vector length
and the FPSIMD registers will be merged into this using the
streaming SVE vector length.
Fix (1) by setting TIF_SME when setting SVCR.SM. This also requires
ensuring that the task's sme_state has been allocated, but as this could
contain live ZA state, it should not be zeroed. Fix (2) by clearing
SVCR.SM when restoring a SVE signal context with SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM clear.
For consistency, I've pulled the manipulation of SVCR, TIF_SVE, TIF_SME,
and fp_type earlier, immediately after the allocation of
sve_state/sme_state, before the restore of the actual register state.
This makes it easier to ensure that these are always modified
consistently, even if a fault is taken while reading the register data
from the signal context. I do not expect any software to depend on the
exact state restored when a fault is taken while reading the context.
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2026-23102 is a Linux kernel issue on arm64 systems involving restoration of advanced vector register state after signals. In unusual local scenarios, the kernel can enter inconsistent state, read outside allocated memory, fault, or kill the task. The source says possible secret values are not exposed to userspace.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate Linux platform reliability and isolation issue for affected arm64 fleets. Patch through normal kernel maintenance, prioritizing shared or untrusted-code environments.
Technical view
The bug is in arm64 fpsimd/SVE signal context restoration when SME is supported. Incorrect handling of SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM, SVCR.SM, TIF_SME, and related state can leave mismatched vector lengths or streaming mode state, causing out-of-bounds kernel reads, fatal faults, or SIGKILL. Fixes synchronize SVCR, TIF_SVE, TIF_SME, fp_type, and state allocation.
Likely exposure
Exposure appears limited to arm64 Linux systems with SVE/SME-capable hardware and affected kernel versions. Downstream distro exposure depends on whether their kernels include the referenced stable fixes.
Exploitation context
No active exploitation is cited, and KEV is false. Triggering requires unusual but legitimate local conditions, such as modified SVE signal context, CRIU-style context restore, or ptrace interaction during sigreturn.
Researcher notes
The source emphasizes inconsistent task state rather than direct data exposure. It says secrets may be loaded into streaming SVE registers but are not exposed because EL0 access traps and save paths validate vector length.
Mitigation direction
Upgrade to a kernel containing the referenced stable fixes.
Check your Linux distribution advisory for backported fixed packages.
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
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Feb 4, 2026, 16:08 UTC (UTC+00:00)
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