CVE-2026-23198: KVM: Don't clobber irqfd routing type when deassigning irqfd
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
KVM: Don't clobber irqfd routing type when deassigning irqfd
When deassigning a KVM_IRQFD, don't clobber the irqfd's copy of the IRQ's
routing entry as doing so breaks kvm_arch_irq_bypass_del_producer() on x86
and arm64, which explicitly look for KVM_IRQ_ROUTING_MSI. Instead, to
handle a concurrent routing update, verify that the irqfd is still active
before consuming the routing information. As evidenced by the x86 and
arm64 bugs, and another bug in kvm_arch_update_irqfd_routing() (see below),
clobbering the entry type without notifying arch code is surprising and
error prone.
As a bonus, checking that the irqfd is active provides a convenient
location for documenting _why_ KVM must not consume the routing entry for
an irqfd that is in the process of being deassigned: once the irqfd is
deleted from the list (which happens *before* the eventfd is detached), it
will no longer receive updates via kvm_irq_routing_update(), and so KVM
could deliver an event using stale routing information (relative to
KVM_SET_GSI_ROUTING returning to userspace).
As an even better bonus, explicitly checking for the irqfd being active
fixes a similar bug to the one the clobbering is trying to prevent: if an
irqfd is deactivated, and then its routing is changed,
kvm_irq_routing_update() won't invoke kvm_arch_update_irqfd_routing()
(because the irqfd isn't in the list). And so if the irqfd is in bypass
mode, IRQs will continue to be posted using the old routing information.
As for kvm_arch_irq_bypass_del_producer(), clobbering the routing type
results in KVM incorrectly keeping the IRQ in bypass mode, which is
especially problematic on AMD as KVM tracks IRQs that are being posted to
a vCPU in a list whose lifetime is tied to the irqfd.
Without the help of KASAN to detect use-after-free, the most common
sympton on AMD is a NULL pointer deref in amd_iommu_update_ga() due to
the memory for irqfd structure being re-allocated and zeroed, resulting
in irqfd->irq_bypass_data being NULL when read by
avic_update_iommu_vcpu_affinity():
BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000018
#PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode
#PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page
PGD 40cf2b9067 P4D 40cf2b9067 PUD 408362a067 PMD 0
Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP
CPU: 6 UID: 0 PID: 40383 Comm: vfio_irq_test
Tainted: G U W O 6.19.0-smp--5dddc257e6b2-irqfd #31 NONE
Tainted: [U]=USER, [W]=WARN, [O]=OOT_MODULE
Hardware name: Google, Inc. Arcadia_IT_80/Arcadia_IT_80, BIOS 34.78.2-0 09/05/2025
RIP: 0010:amd_iommu_update_ga+0x19/0xe0
Call Trace:
<TASK>
avic_update_iommu_vcpu_affinity+0x3d/0x90 [kvm_amd]
__avic_vcpu_load+0xf4/0x130 [kvm_amd]
kvm_arch_vcpu_load+0x89/0x210 [kvm]
vcpu_load+0x30/0x40 [kvm]
kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_run+0x45/0x620 [kvm]
kvm_vcpu_ioctl+0x571/0x6a0 [kvm]
__se_sys_ioctl+0x6d/0xb0
do_syscall_64+0x6f/0x9d0
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53
RIP: 0033:0x46893b
</TASK>
---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---
If AVIC is inhibited when the irfd is deassigned, the bug will manifest as
list corruption, e.g. on the next irqfd assignment.
list_add corruption. next->prev should be prev (ffff8d474d5cd588),
but was 0000000000000000. (next=ffff8d8658f86530).
------------[ cut here ]------------
kernel BUG at lib/list_debug.c:31!
Oops: invalid opcode: 0000 [#1] SMP
CPU: 128 UID: 0 PID: 80818 Comm: vfio_irq_test
Tainted: G U W O 6.19.0-smp--f19dc4d680ba-irqfd #28 NONE
Tainted: [U]=USER, [W]=WARN, [O]=OOT_MODULE
Hardware name: Google, Inc. Arcadia_IT_80/Arcadia_IT_80, BIOS 34.78.2-0 09/05/2025
RIP: 0010:__list_add_valid_or_report+0x97/0xc0
Call Trace:
<TASK>
avic_pi_update_irte+0x28e/0x2b0 [kvm_amd]
kvm_pi_update_irte+0xbf/0x190 [kvm]
kvm_arch_irq_bypass_add_producer+0x72/0x90 [kvm]
irq_bypass_register_consumer+0xcd/0x170 [irqbypa
---truncated---
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2026-23198 is a Linux kernel KVM flaw that can corrupt virtualization interrupt routing during irqfd deassignment. A local low-privileged user could potentially cause serious impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability on affected virtualization hosts. The public bundle describes crashes and corruption, but does not show public exploitation in the wild.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority virtualization infrastructure patch. It needs scheduling because kernel remediation usually requires reboot or workload migration. Urgency is highest where local users, tenants, or automation can interact with KVM workloads.
Technical view
The bug is in KVM irqfd routing cleanup. Deassigning an irqfd clobbers routing type state needed by x86 and arm64 bypass removal, leaving stale bypass routing and causing NULL pointer dereference or list corruption, especially on AMD AVIC paths. The fix preserves routing type and checks whether the irqfd remains active before using routing data.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most relevant to Linux systems running KVM virtualization, particularly hosts using irqfd, VFIO, interrupt bypass, or AMD AVIC-related paths. The affected-version evidence is kernel-source oriented, so map exact risk through distro kernel advisories and backported fix status.
Exploitation context
The CVSS vector is local, low complexity, low privilege, no user interaction, with high CIA impact. KEV is false, and the supplied sources do not cite active exploitation. Evidence supports a serious local virtualization-host risk, not a remote unauthenticated exposure.
Researcher notes
The key failure mode is stale or corrupted irqfd routing state during deassignment and concurrent routing changes. The source evidence includes kernel crash traces and stable commit references, but not a standalone exploit, affected distro matrix, or independent exploitation telemetry.
Mitigation direction
Update affected Linux kernels to builds containing the referenced stable fixes.
Check Linux distribution advisories for backported fix status.
Prioritize KVM hosts running untrusted or multi-tenant workloads.
Plan required host reboots or live migration after kernel updates.
If patching is delayed, restrict untrusted local KVM/VFIO access per vendor guidance.
Validation and detection
Inventory Linux hosts running KVM virtualization.
Record kernel versions and distro patch levels for each host.
Compare installed kernels against vendor advisories and referenced stable commits.
Review whether VFIO, irqfd, interrupt bypass, or AMD AVIC paths are in use.
Confirm patched kernels are booted, not merely installed.
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Potential ATT&CK relevance
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