CVE-2025-71078

Published Jan 13, 2026

Last updated 5 days ago

Overview

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: powerpc/64s/slb: Fix SLB multihit issue during SLB preload On systems using the hash MMU, there is a software SLB preload cache that mirrors the entries loaded into the hardware SLB buffer. This preload cache is subject to periodic eviction — typically after every 256 context switches — to remove old entry. To optimize performance, the kernel skips switch_mmu_context() in switch_mm_irqs_off() when the prev and next mm_struct are the same. However, on hash MMU systems, this can lead to inconsistencies between the hardware SLB and the software preload cache. If an SLB entry for a process is evicted from the software cache on one CPU, and the same process later runs on another CPU without executing switch_mmu_context(), the hardware SLB may retain stale entries. If the kernel then attempts to reload that entry, it can trigger an SLB multi-hit error. The following timeline shows how stale SLB entries are created and can cause a multi-hit error when a process moves between CPUs without a MMU context switch. CPU 0 CPU 1 ----- ----- Process P exec swapper/1 load_elf_binary begin_new_exc activate_mm switch_mm_irqs_off switch_mmu_context switch_slb /* * This invalidates all * the entries in the HW * and setup the new HW * SLB entries as per the * preload cache. */ context_switch sched_migrate_task migrates process P to cpu-1 Process swapper/0 context switch (to process P) (uses mm_struct of Process P) switch_mm_irqs_off() switch_slb load_slb++ /* * load_slb becomes 0 here * and we evict an entry from * the preload cache with * preload_age(). We still * keep HW SLB and preload * cache in sync, that is * because all HW SLB entries * anyways gets evicted in * switch_slb during SLBIA. * We then only add those * entries back in HW SLB, * which are currently * present in preload_cache * (after eviction). */ load_elf_binary continues... setup_new_exec() slb_setup_new_exec() sched_switch event sched_migrate_task migrates process P to cpu-0 context_switch from swapper/0 to Process P switch_mm_irqs_off() /* * Since both prev and next mm struct are same we don't call * switch_mmu_context(). This will cause the HW SLB and SW preload * cache to go out of sync in preload_new_slb_context. Because there * was an SLB entry which was evicted from both HW and preload cache * on cpu-1. Now later in preload_new_slb_context(), when we will try * to add the same preload entry again, we will add this to the SW * preload cache and then will add it to the HW SLB. Since on cpu-0 * this entry was never invalidated, hence adding this entry to the HW * SLB will cause a SLB multi-hit error. */ load_elf_binary cont ---truncated---
Source
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
NVD status
Modified
Products
linux_kernel

Risk scores

CVSS 3.1

Type
Primary
Base score
7.8
Impact score
5.9
Exploitability score
1.8
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Severity
HIGH

Weaknesses

nvd@nist.gov
NVD-CWE-noinfo
134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
CWE-362

Social media

Hype score
Not currently trending

Configurations

  1. In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cgroup: Avoid iteration of dying tasks with zero refcount The commit 260fbcb92bbea ("cgroup: Move dying_tasks cleanup from cgroup_task_release() to cgroup_task_free()") extended the lifetime of tasks on the dying_tasks list. The iterators have provision to go through dying_tasks because of dying threadgroup leaders or explicit CSS_TASK_ITER_WITH_DEAD, however, it was expected that such tasks can obtain a new reference (that is possible before cgroup_task_release()/put_task_struct_rcu_user()). The tasks after cgroup_task_release() and before cgroup_task_free() are subject to race when they may or may not have ->usage count > 0. The race window is between css_task_iter_next() invocations when css_set_lock is released and we may arrive at a new ->task_pos. The iterator should not attempt to resurrect tasks whose ->usage count dropped to zero. (When that happens, __put_task_struct_rcu_cb() is already imminent and the returned task_struct would could be used after free.) As for the fix, we cannot simply check the signal->live count of a task on the dying list because that won't distinguish regular zombies waiting to be reaped from RCU remnant tasks that are going to be free'd. Therefore add an extra check to rule out ->usage==0 tasks from any iteration. The repeat: loop in css_task_iter_advance() doesn't consider ->usage count, so add a new loop to css_task_iter_next() to skip de-used tasks on the dying_list. Rough illustration of the possible race R (reader of cgroup.procs) T (thread) L (group leader) --------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------------------------- L exits, signal->live > 0 cgroup_task_dead(L) css_set_skip_task_iters() // skips only cset->tasks list_add_tail(&L->cg_list, &cset->dying_tasks) css_task_iter_next() take css_set_lock css_task_iter_advance() leader && signal->live != 0 => it->task_pos = &L->cg_list release css_set_lock T exits --signal->live == 0 cgroup_task_dead(T) // css_set_lock release_task(T) cgroup_task_release(T) release_task(L) // zap_leader cgroup_task_release(L) put_task_struct_rcu_user(L) ...RCU... put_task_struct(L) L->usage = 0 /* L still on dying_tasks */ ...RCU... __put_task_struct(L) css_task_iter_next() // another iteration take css_set_lock it->task_pos = &L->cg_list get_task_struct(L) => addition on 0 drop css_set_lock cgroup_task_free(L) css_set_skip_task_iters() // dying skip comes too late free_task(L) cgroup_procs_show() task_pid_vnr(L)•CVE-2026-98163