CVE-2026-98714

Received Received - Intake

KVM: SVM Control Field Update Failure on VMRUN

Publication date: 2026-10-18

Last updated on: 2026-10-19

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: SVM: Update control fields on #VMEXIT if and only if VMRUN succeeded Leave control.erap_ctl and control.clean as-is in the VMCS if VMRUN fails, because as per AMD: there's no explicit architectural guarantee about the behavior in the presence of VMRUN failures. So the best thing to do would be to assume that if VMRUN fails, the actions requested in the control fields may not have been performed.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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Meta Information

Published

2026-10-18

Last Modified

2026-10-19

Generated

2026-10-19

AI Q&A

2026-10-18

EPSS Evaluated

N/A

NVD

CVE-2026-98714

EUVD

EUVD-2026-103968

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
Linux	Linux	1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2
Linux	Linux	1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2
Linux	Linux	0

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves improper handling of control fields during a failed virtual machine run operation in the KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) subsystem for AMD processors. When VMRUN fails, the control fields like erap_ctl and clean should not be updated in the VMCS because AMD does not guarantee their behavior in such cases. This could lead to inconsistent state in the virtual machine control structure.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's KVM SVM implementation and relates to VMRUN failure handling. Detection requires checking kernel logs for SVM-related errors or examining the KVM module behavior during virtual machine exits. No direct commands are provided in the context, but monitoring dmesg or kernel logs for SVM-related failures may help identify issues.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability may allow a guest virtual machine to cause a denial of service or potentially execute arbitrary code in the host kernel. It could lead to system instability, crashes, or unauthorized access if exploited by a malicious guest user.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability affects compliance with standards and regulations like GDPR and HIPAA by potentially exposing sensitive data due to improper handling of control fields during KVM virtualization failures. If VMRUN fails, control fields may not be updated correctly, leading to inconsistent state management in virtual machines.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the Linux kernel to the latest patched version to resolve this KVM SVM vulnerability. Monitor AMD documentation for any additional guidance on handling VMRUN failures.

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