Paper/Archive/CVE-2026-74439

CVE-2026-74439

Linux Linux — iommu/vt-d: Clear Present bit before tearing down scalable-mode context entry

Description · from the CVE record

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iommu/vt-d: Clear Present bit before tearing down scalable-mode context entry device_pasid_table_teardown() zeroes the 128-bit scalable-mode context entry with context_clear_entry() while the Present bit is still set. This creates a window where the hardware can fetch a torn entry, with some fields already zeroed while Present is still set, leading to unpredictable behavior or spurious faults. The context-cache invalidation is issued only after the entry has been zeroed, and intel_pasid_free_table() then frees the PASID directory pages, so the IOMMU can keep walking a stale Present=1 entry that points at freed memory. While x86 provides strong write ordering, the compiler may reorder the two 64-bit writes to the entry, and the hardware fetch is not guaranteed to be atomic with respect to multiple CPU writes. Commit c1e4f1dccbe9d ("iommu/vt-d: Clear Present bit before tearing down context entry") fixed this exact pattern in domain_context_clear_one() and the copied-context path, but device_pasid_table_teardown() was not converted. Align it with the "Guidance to Software for Invalidations" in the VT-d spec, Section 6.5.3.3, using the same ownership handshake as the sibling fix: clear only the Present bit, flush it to the IOMMU, perform the context-cache invalidation, and only then zero the rest of the entry.

Affected

ProductAffectedFixed inSource
Linux81e921fd321614c2ad8ac333b041aae1da7a1c6d – < e9e83bcfe37dc719182500dd823c03ab57d934f0e9e83bcfe37dc719182500dd823c03ab57d934f0CNA
Linux81e921fd321614c2ad8ac333b041aae1da7a1c6d – < 588718101e8449605f1c7e858fecb7cfa701cdab588718101e8449605f1c7e858fecb7cfa701cdabCNA
Linux81e921fd321614c2ad8ac333b041aae1da7a1c6d – < 7fd4077dc92b91b1b844333c0a06bb9e286db10a7fd4077dc92b91b1b844333c0a06bb9e286db10aCNA
Linux81e921fd321614c2ad8ac333b041aae1da7a1c6d – < f46452c3df7a8d8a5addc0926e76ef19ea7da0a0f46452c3df7a8d8a5addc0926e76ef19ea7da0a0CNA
Linux333fe86968482ca701c609af590003bcea450e8f–CNA
Linux6.8.2 – < 6.96.9CNA
Linux6.96.12.97CNA

Scores by source

Linux (CNA)9.3CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
CISA ADPSSVCExploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total

References

refgit.kernel.org/stable/c/e9e83bcfe37dc719182500dd823c03ab57d934f0refgit.kernel.org/stable/c/588718101e8449605f1c7e858fecb7cfa701cdabrefgit.kernel.org/stable/c/7fd4077dc92b91b1b844333c0a06bb9e286db10arefgit.kernel.org/stable/c/f46452c3df7a8d8a5addc0926e76ef19ea7da0a0