Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: arm64: Handle...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
KVM: arm64: Handle kvm_arm_init failure correctly in finalize_pkvm
Currently there is no synchronisation between finalize_pkvm() and
kvm_arm_init() initcalls. The finalize_pkvm() proceeds happily even if
kvm_arm_init() fails resulting in the following warning on all the CPUs
and eventually a HYP panic:
| kvm [1]: IPA Size Limit: 48 bits
| kvm [1]: Failed to init hyp memory protection
| kvm [1]: error initializing Hyp mode: -22
|
|
|
| WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 0 at arch/arm64/kvm/pkvm.c:226 _kvm_host_prot_finalize+0x30/0x50
| Modules linked in:
| CPU: 0 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/0 Not tainted 6.4.0 #237
| Hardware name: FVP Base RevC (DT)
| pstate: 634020c5 (nZCv daIF +PAN -UAO +TCO +DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--)
| pc : _kvm_host_prot_finalize+0x30/0x50
| lr : __flush_smp_call_function_queue+0xd8/0x230
|
| Call trace:
| _kvm_host_prot_finalize+0x3c/0x50
| on_each_cpu_cond_mask+0x3c/0x6c
| pkvm_drop_host_privileges+0x4c/0x78
| finalize_pkvm+0x3c/0x5c
| do_one_initcall+0xcc/0x240
| do_initcall_level+0x8c/0xac
| do_initcalls+0x54/0x94
| do_basic_setup+0x1c/0x28
| kernel_init_freeable+0x100/0x16c
| kernel_init+0x20/0x1a0
| ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20
| Failed to finalize Hyp protection: -22
| dtb=fvp-base-revc.dtb
| kvm [95]: nVHE hyp BUG at: arch/arm64/kvm/hyp/nvhe/mem_protect.c:540!
| kvm [95]: nVHE call trace:
| kvm [95]: [] __kvm_nvhe_hyp_panic+0xac/0xf8
| kvm [95]: [] __kvm_nvhe_handle_host_mem_abort+0x1a0/0x2ac
| kvm [95]: [] __kvm_nvhe_handle_trap+0x4c/0x160
| kvm [95]: [] __kvm_nvhe___skip_pauth_save+0x4/0x4
| kvm [95]: ---[ end nVHE call trace ]---
| kvm [95]: Hyp Offset: 0xfffe8db00ffa0000
| Kernel panic - not syncing: HYP panic:
| PS:a34023c9 PC:0000f250710b973c ESR:00000000f2000800
| FAR:ffff000800cb00d0 HPFAR:000000000880cb00 PAR:0000000000000000
| VCPU:0000000000000000
| CPU: 3 PID: 95 Comm: kworker/u16:2 Tainted: G W 6.4.0 #237
| Hardware name: FVP Base RevC (DT)
| Workqueue: rpciod rpc_async_schedule
| Call trace:
| dump_backtrace+0xec/0x108
| show_stack+0x18/0x2c
| dump_stack_lvl+0x50/0x68
| dump_stack+0x18/0x24
| panic+0x138/0x33c
| nvhe_hyp_panic_handler+0x100/0x184
| new_slab+0x23c/0x54c
| ___slab_alloc+0x3e4/0x770
| kmem_cache_alloc_node+0x1f0/0x278
| __alloc_skb+0xdc/0x294
| tcp_stream_alloc_skb+0x2c/0xf0
| tcp_sendmsg_locked+0x3d0/0xda4
| tcp_sendmsg+0x38/0x5c
| inet_sendmsg+0x44/0x60
| sock_sendmsg+0x1c/0x34
| xprt_sock_sendmsg+0xdc/0x274
| xs_tcp_send_request+0x1ac/0x28c
| xprt_transmit+0xcc/0x300
| call_transmit+0x78/0x90
| __rpc_execute+0x114/0x3d8
| rpc_async_schedule+0x28/0x48
| process_one_work+0x1d8/0x314
| worker_thread+0x248/0x474
| kthread+0xfc/0x184
| ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20
| SMP: stopping secondary CPUs
| Kernel Offset: 0x57c5cb460000 from 0xffff800080000000
| PHYS_OFFSET: 0x80000000
| CPU features: 0x00000000,1035b7a3,ccfe773f
| Memory Limit: none
| ---[ end Kernel panic - not syncing: HYP panic:
| PS:a34023c9 PC:0000f250710b973c ESR:00000000f2000800
| FAR:ffff000800cb00d0 HPFAR:000000000880cb00 PAR:0000000000000000
| VCPU:0000000000000000 ]---
Fix it by checking for the successfull initialisation of kvm_arm_init()
in finalize_pkvm() before proceeding any futher.
Impact
CVE-2023-53319 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-53319? CVE-2023-53319 is a medium-severity security vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet.
- How severe is CVE-2023-53319? CVE-2023-53319 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-53319? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2023-53319 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2023-53319 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-53319 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2023-53319 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.