CVE-2026-97478 (GCVE-0-2026-97478)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-09-24 16:04 – Updated: 2026-09-25 05:10
VLAI
Title
virt: acrn: Fix irqfd use-after-free during eventfd shutdown
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: virt: acrn: Fix irqfd use-after-free during eventfd shutdown acrn_irqfd_deassign() and the eventfd EPOLLHUP wakeup can race and free the same struct hsm_irqfd: CPU0 CPU1 ---- ---- eventfd_release() wake_up_poll(EPOLLHUP) hsm_irqfd_wakeup() queue_work(&irqfd->shutdown) acrn_irqfd_deassign() hsm_irqfd_shutdown() list_del_init() eventfd_ctx_remove_wait_queue() eventfd_ctx_put() kfree(irqfd) hsm_irqfd_shutdown_work() container_of(work, ..., shutdown) irqfd->vm <-- use-after-free The deassign path freed the irqfd while a shutdown work item was already queued by EPOLLHUP (or vice versa), so the work item could resurrect a dangling pointer through container_of(). Switch to the lifetime model used by KVM irqfds: - Deassign/deinit only deactivate the irqfd: remove it from vm->irqfds under irqfds_lock and queue the cleanup work. - hsm_irqfd_shutdown_work() becomes the sole owner that unhooks the eventfd waitqueue entry, drops the eventfd reference and frees the irqfd. - A new HSM_IRQFD_FLAG_SHUTDOWN bit guarded by test_and_set_bit() ensures the cleanup work is queued at most once, no matter how many of {EPOLLHUP, deassign, deinit} fire concurrently. This is safe to call from the waitqueue callback, which runs with wqh->lock held and IRQs disabled and therefore cannot take irqfds_lock. - acrn_irqfd_deassign() flushes vm->irqfd_wq before returning so the eventfd is fully detached on return. acrn_irqfd_deinit() deactivates every irqfd, flushes the workqueue and only then destroys it, so no path can queue_work() onto a torn-down workqueue. - acrn_irqfd_assign() now installs the eventfd waitqueue entry and publishes the irqfd to vm->irqfds under irqfds_lock, so the irqfd is never visible to deassign/deinit before its waitqueue entry is in place, and any EPOLLHUP that fires in the assign window queues cleanup work that blocks on irqfds_lock until publication is done.
Severity
7.8 (High)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Assigner
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version CPE status
Linux Linux Affected: 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 , < d8156aacfcabb81f52c20ef89094945434d08079 (git)
Affected: 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 , < 666c7f9e07925aa0863348f960e09bb89f8f05a3 (git)
Affected: 0 , < 6.18.53 (semver)
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Linux Linux Unaffected: 6.18.53 , ≤ 6.18.* (semver)
Unaffected: 7.2 , ≤ * (original_commit_for_fix)
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{
  "containers": {
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "drivers/virt/acrn/irqfd.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
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              "status": "affected",
              "version": "1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2",
              "versionType": "git"
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              "versionType": "git"
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              "status": "affected",
              "version": "0",
              "versionType": "semver"
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          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "drivers/virt/acrn/irqfd.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.18.*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.18.53",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "7.2",
              "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "cpeApplicability": [
        {
          "nodes": [
            {
              "cpeMatch": [
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "6.18.53",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "7.2",
                  "vulnerable": true
                }
              ],
              "negate": false,
              "operator": "OR"
            }
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      ],
      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nvirt: acrn: Fix irqfd use-after-free during eventfd shutdown\n\nacrn_irqfd_deassign() and the eventfd EPOLLHUP wakeup can race and free\nthe same struct hsm_irqfd:\n\n  CPU0                                 CPU1\n  ----                                 ----\n  eventfd_release()\n    wake_up_poll(EPOLLHUP)\n      hsm_irqfd_wakeup()\n        queue_work(\u0026irqfd-\u003eshutdown)\n                                       acrn_irqfd_deassign()\n                                         hsm_irqfd_shutdown()\n                                           list_del_init()\n                                           eventfd_ctx_remove_wait_queue()\n                                           eventfd_ctx_put()\n                                         kfree(irqfd)\n  hsm_irqfd_shutdown_work()\n    container_of(work, ..., shutdown)\n    irqfd-\u003evm                  \u003c-- use-after-free\n\nThe deassign path freed the irqfd while a shutdown work item was\nalready queued by EPOLLHUP (or vice versa), so the work item could\nresurrect a dangling pointer through container_of().\n\nSwitch to the lifetime model used by KVM irqfds:\n\n - Deassign/deinit only deactivate the irqfd: remove it from vm-\u003eirqfds\n   under irqfds_lock and queue the cleanup work.\n - hsm_irqfd_shutdown_work() becomes the sole owner that unhooks the\n   eventfd waitqueue entry, drops the eventfd reference and frees the\n   irqfd.\n - A new HSM_IRQFD_FLAG_SHUTDOWN bit guarded by test_and_set_bit()\n   ensures the cleanup work is queued at most once, no matter how many\n   of {EPOLLHUP, deassign, deinit} fire concurrently.  This is safe to\n   call from the waitqueue callback, which runs with wqh-\u003elock held and\n   IRQs disabled and therefore cannot take irqfds_lock.\n - acrn_irqfd_deassign() flushes vm-\u003eirqfd_wq before returning so the\n   eventfd is fully detached on return.  acrn_irqfd_deinit() deactivates\n   every irqfd, flushes the workqueue and only then destroys it, so no\n   path can queue_work() onto a torn-down workqueue.\n - acrn_irqfd_assign() now installs the eventfd waitqueue entry and\n   publishes the irqfd to vm-\u003eirqfds under irqfds_lock, so the irqfd is\n   never visible to deassign/deinit before its waitqueue entry is in\n   place, and any EPOLLHUP that fires in the assign window queues\n   cleanup work that blocks on irqfds_lock until publication is done."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV3_1": {
            "baseScore": 7.8,
            "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
            "version": "3.1"
          },
          "scenarios": [
            {
              "lang": "en",
              "value": "AV:L - The UAF is reached from ioctl(ACRN_IOCTL_IRQFD) on /dev/acrn_hsm: acrn_dev_ioctl() copy_from_user()s struct acrn_irqfd and calls acrn_irqfd_config() \u2192 acrn_irqfd_assign()/acrn_irqfd_deassign(), while close() of that eventfd hits eventfd_release() \u2192 hsm_irqfd_wakeup(). No remote protocol carries the fd, flags, or EPOLLHUP.\nAC:L - The attacker owns both sides: one thread ioctl(ACRN_IOCTL_IRQFD) with ACRN_IRQFD_FLAG_DEASSIGN so acrn_irqfd_deassign() \u2192 hsm_irqfd_shutdown() kfree()s the hsm_irqfd, while another close()s a dup of the same eventfd so eventfd_release() \u2192 wake_up_poll(EPOLLHUP) \u2192 hsm_irqfd_wakeup() queues hsm_irqfd_shutdown_work(); the window is retryable.\nPR:L - acrn_dev_open(), acrn_dev_ioctl() and acrn_irqfd_config() have no capable()/CAP_* gate; only /dev/acrn_hsm DAC applies. ACRN Service VM deployments grant that node to the deprivileged acrn-dm device-model account (as with /dev/kvm), so a local user with that fd can CREATE_VM and IRQFD without init-namespace root.\nUI:N - The attacker opens /dev/acrn_hsm, ioctl(ACRN_IOCTL_CREATE_VM) then ACRN_IOCTL_IRQFD assign, and races close() of its own eventfd against deassign (or acrn_dev_release() \u2192 acrn_irqfd_deinit()); no other user must mount, open, or click.\nS:U - hsm_irqfd_shutdown_work() uses the freed struct hsm_irqfd in the Service VM kernel that runs acrn_dev_ioctl(). The attacker is already a Service VM process issuing HSM ioctls, not a User VM guest crossing into the ACRN hypervisor, so impact stays in one kernel authority.\nC:H - After acrn_irqfd_deassign() kfree()s the hsm_irqfd, hsm_irqfd_shutdown_work() container_of()s the queued work_struct and reads irqfd-\u003evm (and later irqfd-\u003eeventfd) from the freed kmalloc object. Reclaiming that slot lets the attacker disclose reallocated kernel heap through those dangling loads.\nI:H - The same UAF lets hsm_irqfd_shutdown_work() mutex_lock(\u0026irqfd-\u003evm-\u003eirqfds_lock), list_del_init(\u0026irqfd-\u003elist) and eventfd_ctx_put(irqfd-\u003eeventfd) on attacker-reclaimed hsm_irqfd fields, which is an arbitrary write / wait-queue function-pointer hijack, plus a second kfree of the sprayed object.\nA:H - hsm_irqfd_shutdown_work() loading irqfd-\u003evm after hsm_irqfd_shutdown() kfree()s it oopses on a dangling pointer or corrupts the irqfds mutex/list; the EPOLLHUP work versus deassign kfree race in the commit is a Service VM kernel panic even without a successful spray."
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2026-09-25T05:10:50.060Z",
        "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "shortName": "Linux"
      },
      "references": [
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d8156aacfcabb81f52c20ef89094945434d08079"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/666c7f9e07925aa0863348f960e09bb89f8f05a3"
        }
      ],
      "title": "virt: acrn: Fix irqfd use-after-free during eventfd shutdown",
      "x_generator": {
        "engine": "bippy-1.2.0"
      }
    }
  },
  "cveMetadata": {
    "assignerOrgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
    "assignerShortName": "Linux",
    "cveId": "CVE-2026-97478",
    "datePublished": "2026-09-24T16:04:20.263Z",
    "dateReserved": "2026-09-24T16:01:01.149Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-09-25T05:10:50.060Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.2",
  "vulnerability-lookup:meta": {
    "epss": {
      "cve": "CVE-2026-97478",
      "date": "2026-09-25",
      "epss": "0.0012",
      "percentile": "0.01646"
    },
    "nvd": {
      "cve": {
        "affected": [
          {
            "affectedData": [
              {
                "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
                "product": "Linux",
                "programFiles": [
                  "drivers/virt/acrn/irqfd.c"
                ],
                "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
                "vendor": "Linux",
                "versions": [
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                    "lessThan": "d8156aacfcabb81f52c20ef89094945434d08079",
                    "status": "affected",
                    "version": "1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2",
                    "versionType": "git"
                  },
                  {
                    "lessThan": "666c7f9e07925aa0863348f960e09bb89f8f05a3",
                    "status": "affected",
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                    "versionType": "git"
                  },
                  {
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                    "status": "affected",
                    "version": "0",
                    "versionType": "semver"
                  }
                ]
              },
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                "defaultStatus": "affected",
                "product": "Linux",
                "programFiles": [
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                "vendor": "Linux",
                "versions": [
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                    "status": "unaffected",
                    "version": "6.18.53",
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                  },
                  {
                    "lessThanOrEqual": "*",
                    "status": "unaffected",
                    "version": "7.2",
                    "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ],
            "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
          }
        ],
        "cveTags": [],
        "descriptions": [
          {
            "lang": "en",
            "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nvirt: acrn: Fix irqfd use-after-free during eventfd shutdown\n\nacrn_irqfd_deassign() and the eventfd EPOLLHUP wakeup can race and free\nthe same struct hsm_irqfd:\n\n  CPU0                                 CPU1\n  ----                                 ----\n  eventfd_release()\n    wake_up_poll(EPOLLHUP)\n      hsm_irqfd_wakeup()\n        queue_work(\u0026irqfd-\u003eshutdown)\n                                       acrn_irqfd_deassign()\n                                         hsm_irqfd_shutdown()\n                                           list_del_init()\n                                           eventfd_ctx_remove_wait_queue()\n                                           eventfd_ctx_put()\n                                         kfree(irqfd)\n  hsm_irqfd_shutdown_work()\n    container_of(work, ..., shutdown)\n    irqfd-\u003evm                  \u003c-- use-after-free\n\nThe deassign path freed the irqfd while a shutdown work item was\nalready queued by EPOLLHUP (or vice versa), so the work item could\nresurrect a dangling pointer through container_of().\n\nSwitch to the lifetime model used by KVM irqfds:\n\n - Deassign/deinit only deactivate the irqfd: remove it from vm-\u003eirqfds\n   under irqfds_lock and queue the cleanup work.\n - hsm_irqfd_shutdown_work() becomes the sole owner that unhooks the\n   eventfd waitqueue entry, drops the eventfd reference and frees the\n   irqfd.\n - A new HSM_IRQFD_FLAG_SHUTDOWN bit guarded by test_and_set_bit()\n   ensures the cleanup work is queued at most once, no matter how many\n   of {EPOLLHUP, deassign, deinit} fire concurrently.  This is safe to\n   call from the waitqueue callback, which runs with wqh-\u003elock held and\n   IRQs disabled and therefore cannot take irqfds_lock.\n - acrn_irqfd_deassign() flushes vm-\u003eirqfd_wq before returning so the\n   eventfd is fully detached on return.  acrn_irqfd_deinit() deactivates\n   every irqfd, flushes the workqueue and only then destroys it, so no\n   path can queue_work() onto a torn-down workqueue.\n - acrn_irqfd_assign() now installs the eventfd waitqueue entry and\n   publishes the irqfd to vm-\u003eirqfds under irqfds_lock, so the irqfd is\n   never visible to deassign/deinit before its waitqueue entry is in\n   place, and any EPOLLHUP that fires in the assign window queues\n   cleanup work that blocks on irqfds_lock until publication is done."
          }
        ],
        "id": "CVE-2026-97478",
        "lastModified": "2026-09-25T05:17:06.917",
        "metrics": {
          "cvssMetricV31": [
            {
              "cvssData": {
                "attackComplexity": "LOW",
                "attackVector": "LOCAL",
                "availabilityImpact": "HIGH",
                "baseScore": 7.8,
                "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
                "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH",
                "integrityImpact": "HIGH",
                "privilegesRequired": "LOW",
                "scope": "UNCHANGED",
                "userInteraction": "NONE",
                "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
                "version": "3.1"
              },
              "exploitabilityScore": 1.8,
              "impactScore": 5.9,
              "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
              "type": "Secondary"
            }
          ]
        },
        "published": "2026-09-24T17:17:25.183",
        "references": [
          {
            "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
            "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/666c7f9e07925aa0863348f960e09bb89f8f05a3"
          },
          {
            "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
            "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d8156aacfcabb81f52c20ef89094945434d08079"
          }
        ],
        "sourceIdentifier": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "vulnStatus": "Received"
      }
    }
  }
}



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