CVE-2025-39726: s390/ism: fix concurrency management in ism_cmd()

Published Sep 5, 2025
·
Updated

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

s390/ism: fix concurrency management in ismcmd()

The s390x ISM device data sheet clearly states that only one request-response sequence is allowable per ISM function at any point in time. Unfortunately as of today the s390/ism driver in Linux does not honor that requirement. This patch aims to rectify that.

This problem was discovered based on Aliaksei's bug report which states that for certain workloads the ISM functions end up entering error state (with PEC 2 as seen from the logs) after a while and as a consequence connections handled by the respective function break, and for future connection requests the ISM device is not considered -- given it is in a dysfunctional state. During further debugging PEC 3A was observed as well.

A kernel message like [ 1211.244319] zpci: 061a:00:00.0: Event 0x2 reports an error for PCI function 0x61a is a reliable indicator of the stated function entering error state with PEC 2. Let me also point out that a kernel message like [ 1211.244325] zpci: 061a:00:00.0: The ism driver bound to the device does not support error recovery is a reliable indicator that the ISM function won't be auto-recovered because the ISM driver currently lacks support for it.

On a technical level, without this synchronization, commands (inputs to the FW) may be partially or fully overwritten (corrupted) by another CPU trying to issue commands on the same function. There is hard evidence that this can lead to DMB token values being used as DMB IOVAs, leading to PEC 2 PCI events indicating invalid DMA. But this is only one of the failure modes imaginable. In theory even completely losing one command and executing another one twice and then trying to interpret the outputs as if the command we intended to execute was actually executed and not the other one is also possible. Frankly, I don't feel confident about providing an exhaustive list of possible consequences.

Affected Software

13 affected componentsFixes available
Linux Linux kernel
Microsoft azl3 kernel 6.6.96.2-2
Microsoft azl3 kernel 6.6.96.2-1
Linux Linux kernel>=4.19<6.6.101
Linux Linux kernel>=6.7<6.12.41
Linux Linux kernel>=6.13<6.15.9
Linux Linux kernel=6.16-rc1
Linux Linux kernel=6.16-rc2
Linux Linux kernel=6.16-rc3
Linux Linux kernel=6.16-rc4
Linux Linux kernel=6.16-rc5
Linux Linux kernel=6.16-rc6
Linux Linux kernel=6.16-rc7

Event History

Sep 5, 2025
CVE Published
via MITRE·05:27 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·05:27 PM
DescriptionSeverity
Data Sourced
via NVD·06:15 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Sep 7, 2025
Data Sourced
via Microsoft·01:02 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Updated
via Microsoft·01:02 AM
SeverityAffected Software
Updated
via Microsoft·01:02 AM
DescriptionSeverity

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2025-39726?

CVE-2025-39726 has been assigned a moderate severity level due to its impact on concurrency management in the ISM function of the Linux kernel.

2

How do I fix CVE-2025-39726?

To mitigate CVE-2025-39726, update the Linux kernel to the latest stable version where the vulnerability has been patched.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2025-39726?

CVE-2025-39726 affects systems running the Linux kernel that utilize the s390x ISM device.

4

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2025-39726?

CVE-2025-39726 is a concurrency management vulnerability found in the Linux kernel's ISM command handling.

5

When was CVE-2025-39726 resolved?

CVE-2025-39726 was resolved with the release of a patch in the Linux kernel after it was identified.

Contact

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