CVE-2026-63807: KVM: x86/mmu: Ensure hugepage is in by slot before checking max mapping level

Published Jul 19, 2026
·
Updated

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

KVM: x86/mmu: Ensure hugepage is in by slot before checking max mapping level

When recovering hugepages in the shadow MMU, verify that the base gfn of the shadow page is actually contained within the target memslot, before querying the max mapping level given the shadow page's gfn. Failure to pre-check the validity of the gfn can lead to an out-of-bounds access to the slot's lpageinfo (which typically manifests as a host #PF because the lpageinfo is vmalloc'd) if the guest creates a hugepage mapping (in its PTEs) that extends "below" the bounds of a memslot.

When faulting in memory for a guest, and the size of the guest mapping is greater than KVM's (current) max mapping, then KVM will create a "direct" shadow page (direct in that there are no gPTEs to shadow, and so the target gfn is a direct calculation given the base gfn of the shadow page). The hugepage recovery flow looks for such direct shadow pages, as forcing 4KiB mappings when dirty logging generates the guest > host mapping size case. When the 4KiB restriction is lifted, then KVM can replace the shadow page with a hugepage.

But if KVM originally used a smaller mapping than the guest because the range of memory covered by the guest hugepage exceeds the bounds of a memslot, then KVM will link a direct shadow page with a gfn that is outside the bounds of the memslot being used to fault in memory. The rmap entry added for the leaf mapping is correct and within bounds, but the gfn of the leaf SPTE's parent shadow page will be out of bounds.

BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ffffc90000806ffc #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode #PF: errorcode(0x0000) - not-present page PGD 100000067 P4D 100000067 PUD 1002a7067 PMD 10612f067 PTE 0 Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP CPU: 13 UID: 1000 PID: 757 Comm: mmustresstest Not tainted 7.1.0-rc1-48ce1e26eace-x86pirtoirrcomments-vm #341 PREEMPT Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 0.0.0 02/06/2015 RIP: 0010:kvmmmumaxmappinglevel+0x79/0x2b0 [kvm] Call Trace: <TASK> kvmmmurecoverhugepages+0x21b/0x320 [kvm] kvmsetmemslot+0x1ee/0x590 [kvm] kvmsetmemoryregion.part.0+0x3a1/0x4d0 [kvm] kvmvmioctl+0x9bf/0x15d0 [kvm] x64sysioctl+0x8a/0xd0 dosyscall64+0xb7/0xbb0 entrySYSCALL64afterhwframe+0x4b/0x53 RIP: 0033:0x7f21c0f1a9bf </TASK>

Don't bother pre-checking the bounds of the potential hugepage, i.e. don't check that e.g. sp->gfn + KVMPAGESPERHPAGE(sp->role.level + 1) is also within the memslot, as the checks performed by kvmmmumaxmappinglevel() are a superset of the basic bounds checks. I.e. pre-checking the full range would be a dubious micro-optimization.

Affected Software

8 affected componentsFixes available
Microsoft KVM
Linux Linux kernel>=5.12<5.15.211
Linux Linux kernel>=5.16<6.1.177
Linux Linux kernel>=6.2<6.6.144
Linux Linux kernel>=6.7<6.12.95
Linux Linux kernel>=6.13<6.18.38
Linux Linux kernel>=6.19<7.1.3
Microsoft azl3 kernel 6.6.143.1-1<6.6.150.1-1
6.6.150.1-1

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 6.6.150.1-1
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade Linux kernel KVM (x86/mmu hugepage bounds) to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 7.1.0-rc1-48ce1e26eace-x86_pir_to_irr_comments-vm #341 PREEMPTPatch KVM: x86/mmu: Ensure hugepage is in by slot before checking max mapping level

Event History

Jul 19, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·12:02 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·12:02 PM
DescriptionSeverity
Data Sourced
via NVD·12:16 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·01:03 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Jul 20, 2026
Data Sourced
via Microsoft·08:04 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via Microsoft·08:04 AM
Affected Software
Updated
via Microsoft·08:04 AM
DescriptionSeverity
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-63807?

The severity of CVE-2026-63807 is rated high with a CVSS score of 8.8.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-63807?

To fix CVE-2026-63807, update your Linux kernel to the latest version that addresses this vulnerability.

3

What impact does CVE-2026-63807 have on my system?

CVE-2026-63807 can potentially allow an attacker to exploit shadow memory management, leading to higher risks of data corruption or unauthorized access.

4

Is my system vulnerable to CVE-2026-63807?

If you're using an affected version of Microsoft KVM and haven’t applied the necessary patches, your system may be vulnerable to CVE-2026-63807.

5

What is the exploitability of CVE-2026-63807?

CVE-2026-63807 has a risk factor of 72, indicating a significant potential for exploitation if left unpatched.

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