CVE-2022-49559

MEDIUM
Published Feb 26, 2025 Modified Oct 22, 2025

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: x86: Drop WARNs that assert a triple fault never "escapes" from L2 Remove WARNs that sanity check that KVM never lets a triple fault for L2 escape and incorrectly end up in L1. In normal operation, the sanity check is perfectly valid, but it incorrectly assumes that it's impossible for userspace to induce KVM_REQ_TRIPLE_FAULT without bouncing through KVM_RUN (which guarantees kvm_check_nested_state() will see and handle the triple fault). The WARN can currently be triggered if userspace injects a machine check while L2 is active and CR4.MCE=0. And a future fix to allow save/restore of KVM_REQ_TRIPLE_FAULT, e.g. so that a synthesized triple fault isn't lost on migration, will make it trivially easy for userspace to trigger the WARN. Clearing KVM_REQ_TRIPLE_FAULT when forcibly leaving guest mode is tempting, but wrong, especially if/when the request is saved/restored, e.g. if userspace restores events (including a triple fault) and then restores nested state (which may forcibly leave guest mode). Ignoring the fact that KVM doesn't currently provide the necessary APIs, it's userspace's responsibility to manage pending events during save/restore. ------------[ cut here ]------------ WARNING: CPU: 7 PID: 1399 at arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c:4522 nested_vmx_vmexit+0x7fe/0xd90 [kvm_intel] Modules linked in: kvm_intel kvm irqbypass CPU: 7 PID: 1399 Comm: state_test Not tainted 5.17.0-rc3+ #808 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 0.0.0 02/06/2015 RIP: 0010:nested_vmx_vmexit+0x7fe/0xd90 [kvm_intel] Call Trace: <TASK> vmx_leave_nested+0x30/0x40 [kvm_intel] vmx_set_nested_state+0xca/0x3e0 [kvm_intel] kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl+0xf49/0x13e0 [kvm] kvm_vcpu_ioctl+0x4b9/0x660 [kvm] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x83/0xb0 do_syscall_64+0x3b/0xc0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae </TASK> ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.5
MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected Products

Vendor Product
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-49559? +
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: x86: Drop WARNs that assert a triple fault never "escapes" from L2 Remove WARNs that sanity check that KVM never lets a triple fault for L2 escape and incorrectly end up in L1. In normal operation, the sanity check is perfectly valid, but it incorrectly assumes that it's impossible for userspace to induce KVM_REQ_TRIPLE_FAULT without bouncing through KVM_RUN (which guarantees kvm_check_nested_state() will see and handle the triple fault). The WARN can currently be triggered if userspace injects a machine check while L2 is active and CR4.MCE=0. And a future fix to allow save/restore of KVM_REQ_TRIPLE_FAULT, e.g. so that a synthesized triple fault isn't lost on migration, will make it trivially easy for userspace to trigger the WARN. Clearing KVM_REQ_TRIPLE_FAULT when forcibly leaving guest mode is tempting, but wrong, especially if/when the request is saved/restored, e.g. if userspace restores events (including a triple fault) and then restores nested state (which may forcibly leave guest mode). Ignoring the fact that KVM doesn't currently provide the necessary APIs, it's userspace's responsibility to manage pending events during save/restore. ------------[ cut here ]------------ WARNING: CPU: 7 PID: 1399 at arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c:4522 nested_vmx_vmexit+0x7fe/0xd90 [kvm_intel] Modules linked in: kvm_intel kvm irqbypass CPU: 7 PID: 1399 Comm: state_test Not tainted 5.17.0-rc3+ #808 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 0.0.0 02/06/2015 RIP: 0010:nested_vmx_vmexit+0x7fe/0xd90 [kvm_intel] Call Trace: <TASK> vmx_leave_nested+0x30/0x40 [kvm_intel] vmx_set_nested_state+0xca/0x3e0 [kvm_intel] kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl+0xf49/0x13e0 [kvm] kvm_vcpu_ioctl+0x4b9/0x660 [kvm] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x83/0xb0 do_syscall_64+0x3b/0xc0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae </TASK> ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]--- It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2022-49559? +
CVE-2022-49559 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance.
What products are affected by CVE-2022-49559? +
CVE-2022-49559 affects products from linux, specifically: linux_kernel. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2022-49559? +
You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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