CVE-2026-98720: KVM: nVMX: Force MSR bitmap refresh if runtime eVMCS controls are modified

Published Oct 18, 2026
·
Updated

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

KVM: nVMX: Force MSR bitmap refresh if runtime eVMCS controls are modified

Force a refresh of the vmcs02 MSR bitmap during nested VM-Enter if the runtime eVMCS controls (pin, primary, secondary, etc.) are being updated. If L1 isn't intercepting TPR writes, runs L2 with TPR virtualization, and then runs the same L2 with TPR virtualization disabled, KVM will fail to refresh msrbitmap02 and leave TPR in passthrough mode even though TPR virtualization is disabled. I.e. failure to refresh the bitmap lets L2 (or L1 by proxy) read and write L0's TPR.

Affected Software

1 affected component
Linux Linux kernel

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Compensating control

    In KVM nVMX, force a refresh of the vmcs02 MSR bitmap during nested VM-Enter whenever runtime eVMCS controls are modified, so TPR remains in passthrough mode only when TPR virtualization is enabled.

Event History

Oct 18, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·03:46 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·03:46 PM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·04:17 PM
Description

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