CVE-2023-53663: KVM: nSVM: Check instead of asserting on nested TSC scaling support

Published Oct 7, 2025
·
Updated

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

KVM: nSVM: Check instead of asserting on nested TSC scaling support

Check for nested TSC scaling support on nested SVM VMRUN instead of asserting that TSC scaling is exposed to L1 if L1's MSRAMD64TSCRATIO has diverged from KVM's default. Userspace can trigger the WARN at will by writing the MSR and then updating guest CPUID to hide the feature (modifying guest CPUID is allowed anytime before KVMRUN). E.g. hacking KVM's statetest selftest to do

vcpusetmsr(vcpu, MSRAMD64TSCRATIO, 0); vcpuclearcpuidfeature(vcpu, X86FEATURETSCRATEMSR);

after restoring state in a new VM+vCPU yields an endless supply of:

------------[ cut here ]------------ WARNING: CPU: 164 PID: 62565 at arch/x86/kvm/svm/nested.c:699 nestedvmcb02preparecontrol+0x3d6/0x3f0 [kvmamd] Call Trace: <TASK> entersvmguestmode+0x114/0x560 [kvmamd] nestedsvmvmrun+0x260/0x330 [kvmamd] vmruninterception+0x29/0x30 [kvmamd] svminvokeexithandler+0x35/0x100 [kvmamd] svmhandleexit+0xe7/0x180 [kvmamd] kvmarchvcpuioctlrun+0x1eab/0x2570 [kvm] kvmvcpuioctl+0x4c9/0x5b0 [kvm] sesysioctl+0x7a/0xc0 x64sysioctl+0x21/0x30 dosyscall64+0x41/0x90 entrySYSCALL64afterhwframe+0x63/0xcd RIP: 0033:0x45ca1b

Note, the nested #VMEXIT path has the same flaw, but needs a different fix and will be handled separately.

Affected Software

3 affected components
Linux Foundation Linux Kernel
Linux Linux kernel>=5.16<6.1.54
Linux Linux kernel>=6.2<6.5.4

Event History

Oct 7, 2025
CVE Published
via MITRE·03:21 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·03:21 PM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·04:15 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2023-53663?

CVE-2023-53663 is classified as a vulnerability in the Linux kernel impacting KVM's handling of nested TSC scaling.

2

How do I fix CVE-2023-53663?

To fix CVE-2023-53663, update your Linux kernel to the latest stable version where the vulnerability has been patched.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2023-53663?

CVE-2023-53663 affects systems running the Linux kernel that utilize KVM for virtualization.

4

What is the impact of CVE-2023-53663?

The impact of CVE-2023-53663 may allow unauthorized access or manipulation of virtual machine resources on affected systems.

5

Who should be concerned about CVE-2023-53663?

Administrators of Linux-based systems using KVM virtualization should be concerned about CVE-2023-53663 and take appropriate action.

Contact

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