CVE-2025-40122: perf/x86/intel: Fix IA32_PMC_x_CFG_B MSRs access error

Published Nov 12, 2025
·
Updated

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

perf/x86/intel: Fix IA32PMCxCFGB MSRs access error

When running perffuzzer on PTL, sometimes the below "unchecked MSR access error" is seen when accessing IA32PMCxCFGB MSRs.

[ 55.611268] unchecked MSR access error: WRMSR to 0x1986 (tried to write 0x0000000200000001) at rIP: 0xffffffffac564b28 (nativewritemsr+0x8/0x30) [ 55.611280] Call Trace: [ 55.611282] <TASK> [ 55.611284] ? intelpmuconfigacr+0x87/0x160 [ 55.611289] intelpmuenableacr+0x6d/0x80 [ 55.611291] intelpmuenableevent+0xce/0x460 [ 55.611293] x86pmustart+0x78/0xb0 [ 55.611297] x86pmuenable+0x218/0x3a0 [ 55.611300] ? x86pmuenable+0x121/0x3a0 [ 55.611302] perfpmuenable+0x40/0x50 [ 55.611307] ctxresched+0x19d/0x220 [ 55.611309] perfinstallincontext+0x284/0x2f0 [ 55.611311] ? pfxremotefunction+0x10/0x10 [ 55.611314] remotefunction+0x52/0x70 [ 55.611317] ? pfxremotefunction+0x10/0x10 [ 55.611319] genericexecsingle+0x84/0x150 [ 55.611323] smpcallfunctionsingle+0xc5/0x1a0 [ 55.611326] ? pfxremotefunction+0x10/0x10 [ 55.611329] perfinstallincontext+0xd1/0x1e0 [ 55.611331] ? pfxperfinstallincontext+0x10/0x10 [ 55.611333] dosysperfeventopen+0xa76/0x1040 [ 55.611336] x64sysperfeventopen+0x26/0x30 [ 55.611337] x64syscall+0x1d8e/0x20c0 [ 55.611339] dosyscall64+0x4f/0x120 [ 55.611343] entrySYSCALL64afterhwframe+0x76/0x7e

On PTL, GP counter 0 and 1 doesn't support auto counter reload feature, thus it would trigger a #GP when trying to write 1 on bit 0 of CFGB MSR which requires to enable auto counter reload on GP counter 0.

The root cause of causing this issue is the check for auto counter reload (ACR) counter mask from user space is incorrect in intelpmuacrlatesetup() helper. It leads to an invalid ACR counter mask from user space could be set into hw.config1 and then written into CFGB MSRs and trigger the MSR access warning.

e.g., User may create a perf event with ACR counter mask (config2=0xcb), and there is only 1 event created, so "cpuc->nevents" is 1.

The correct check condition should be "i + idx >= cpuc->nevents" instead of "i + idx > cpuc->nevents" (it looks a typo). Otherwise, the counter mask would traverse twice and an invalid "cpuc->assign[1]" bit (bit 0) is set into hw.config1 and cause MSR accessing error.

Besides, also check if the ACR counter mask corresponding events are ACR events. If not, filter out these counter mask. If a event is not a ACR event, it could be scheduled to an HW counter which doesn't support ACR. It's invalid to add their counter index in ACR counter mask.

Furthermore, remove the WARNONONCE() since it's easily triggered as user could set any invalid ACR counter mask and the warning message could mislead users.

Affected Software

1 affected component
Linux Linux kernel

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Compensating control

    Fix the ACR counter validation in the Intel perf/x86 driver by using the bounds check `i + idx >= cpuc->n_events` instead of `i + idx > cpuc->n_events`, and filter out invalid ACR counter masks before they are written to IA32_PMC_x_CFG_B MSRs; remove the easily triggered `WARN_ON_ONCE()` for this condition.

Event History

Nov 12, 2025
CVE Published
via MITRE·10:23 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·10:23 AM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·11:15 AM
Description

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2025-40122?

CVE-2025-40122 is categorized as a medium severity vulnerability in the Linux kernel.

2

How do I fix CVE-2025-40122?

To fix CVE-2025-40122, upgrade to the latest version of the Linux kernel that contains the patch for this issue.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2025-40122?

CVE-2025-40122 affects all systems running a vulnerable version of the Linux kernel.

4

What specific issue does CVE-2025-40122 address?

CVE-2025-40122 addresses an unchecked MSR access error when using perf_fuzzer on PTL related to IA32_PMC_x_CFG_B MSRs.

5

Can CVE-2025-40122 lead to any security risks?

Yes, CVE-2025-40122 can potentially lead to unstable system behavior or unexpected results from performance monitoring tools.

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