CVE-2026-64456: hwrng: virtio: clamp device-reported used.len at copy_data()
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
hwrng: virtio: clamp device-reported used.len at copydata()
randomrecvdone() stores the device-reported used.len directly into vi->dataavail. copydata() then indexes vi->data[] using vi->dataidx (advanced by previous copydata() calls) and issues a memcpy() without re-validating either value against the posted buffer size sizeof(vi->data) (SMPCACHEBYTES bytes, typically 32 or 64).
A malicious or buggy virtio-rng backend can set used.len beyond sizeof(vi->data), steering the memcpy() past the end of the inline array into adjacent kmalloc-1k slab bytes. hwrngfillfn() mixes those bytes into the guest RNG, and guest root can also observe them directly via /dev/hwrng.
Concrete impact is inside the guest:
- Memory-safety / hardening: any virtio-rng backend that over-reports used.len causes the driver to read past vi->data into unrelated slab contents. hwrngfillfn() is a kernel thread that runs as soon as the device is probed; no guest userspace interaction is required to first-trigger the OOB.
- Cross-boundary leak (confidential-compute threat model): a malicious hypervisor cooperating with a malicious or compromised guest root userspace can use /dev/hwrng as a leak channel for guest-kernel heap data. The host sets a large used.len, guest root reads /dev/hwrng, and the returned bytes contain guest kernel slab contents that were adjacent to vi->data. In practice, confidential-compute guests (SEV-SNP, TDX) usually disable virtio-rng entirely, so this path is narrow, but the fix is still worth carrying because the underlying memory-safety bug contaminates the guest RNG on any host.
KASAN confirms the OOB on a 7.1-rc4 guest whose virtio-rng backend has been patched to report used.len = 0x10000:
BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in virtioread+0x394/0x5d0 Read of size 64 at addr ffff88800ae0ba20 by task hwrng/52 Call Trace: asanmemcpy+0x23/0x60 virtioread+0x394/0x5d0 hwrngfillfn+0xb2/0x470 kthread+0x2cc/0x3a0 Allocated by task 1: probecommon+0xa5/0x660 virtiodevprobe+0x549/0xbc0 The buggy address belongs to the object at ffff88800ae0b800 which belongs to the cache kmalloc-1k of size 1024 The buggy address is located 0 bytes to the right of allocated 544-byte region [ffff88800ae0b800, ffff88800ae0ba20)
Same class of bug as commit c04db81cd028 ("net/9p: Fix buffer overflow in USB transport layer"), which hardened usb9pfsrxcomplete() against unchecked device-reported length in the USB 9p transport.
With the clamp at point of use and arrayindexnospec() in place, the same harness boots cleanly: copydata() returns zero for the bogus report, the device-supplied bytes after dataidx are discarded, and the driver issues a fresh request.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
Linux kernel virtio-rngto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Patch hwrng: virtio: clamp device-reported used.len at copy_data() - Configuration
Disable virtio-rng entirely on the affected guests/hosts to narrow the vulnerable code path (the text notes: “disable virtio-rng entirely, so this path is narrow”).
virtio-rng (hwrng) disable virtio-rng = entirely - Compensating control
Limit/avoid access to the guest RNG leak channel: because confidential-compute guests can probe /dev/hwrng as a leak channel, restrict or monitor access to /dev/hwrng for guest root/userspaces if feasible in your environment.
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-64456?
CVE-2026-64456 has a high severity rating of 7.7 according to the CVSS 3.1 score.
How do I fix CVE-2026-64456?
To mitigate CVE-2026-64456, ensure you update to a patched version of the Linux kernel that addresses this vulnerability.
What components are affected by CVE-2026-64456?
CVE-2026-64456 affects the virtio random number generator component within the Linux kernel.
What attack vector does CVE-2026-64456 involve?
CVE-2026-64456 involves a local attack vector, allowing unauthorized access to sensitive data.
What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-64456?
CVE-2026-64456 is categorized as an integer overflow vulnerability in the device-reported used length handling.