Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessGain control of L2/nested guest hypervisor
-
DeliverySet VL cap via untrapped ZCR_EL1
-
ExploitTrigger SVE context restore
-
ExecutionUncapped ZCR_EL2 written to hardware
-
ImpactAccess vector lengths beyond policy limit
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V2 - Validation and Business Logic Input validation, allowlisting
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires the host to be arm64 with SVE support, running KVM with nested virtualization enabled, and the attacker must control a VHE guest hypervisor (L1) that manipulates the vector-length cap via the ZCR_EL1 alias instead of the trapping ZCR_EL2 register. Limiting factors: exploitation is local (AV:L) and requires guest-hypervisor privilege (PR:L, i.e. authenticated within the virtualization stack), no user interaction, and - critically - a non-default, uncommon deployment (arm64 KVM nested virt + SVE). On hosts without SVE, without nested virtualization, or on non-arm64 architectures the code path is unreachable, so this is not exploitable against default or typical KVM configurations. |
| Impact | The input CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 8.8) rates this High, driven largely by the scope change (S:C) crossing the guest/hypervisor boundary and full C/I/A impact. That impact profile appears inflated relative to the described behavior: the vendor tags this 'Information Disclosure' and the described effect is an L2 guest gaining access to vector lengths it should not - a confinement breach, not clearly a full-integrity or availability compromise. EPSS is low (0.19%, 9th percentile), there is no KEV listing and no POC referenced, and the vulnerable code path (KVM arm64 with nested virtualization AND SVE) is a narrow, emerging configuration. Net: a legitimate correctness/security fix worth patching in the normal stable-kernel cadence, but not an emergency - real-world exploitability is gated by a rare deployment scenario rather than the raw 8.8 score. Note the conflict to verify: CVSS marks C:H/I:H/A:H with S:C, while the description and vendor tag point to information disclosure only; treat the high impact metrics with skepticism pending vendor clarification. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who controls a guest hypervisor (L1) on a vulnerable arm64 SVE host programs the vector-length cap through the untrapped ZCR_EL1 accessor rather than ZCR_EL2, then launches or resumes an L2 guest. On SVE context restore the un-sanitized value is written to the physical ZCR_EL2, letting the L2 guest use vector lengths beyond its intended limit and access SVE register state it should not. No public POC is referenced, and exploitation requires the attacker to already run privileged code inside a nested-virtualization stack. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Jul 20, 2026
Improper vector-length capping in the Linux kernel's KVM arm64 SVE handling lets a nested (L2) guest under a VHE guest hypervisor access Scalable Vector Extension vector lengths beyond its configured limit. When a guest hypervisor updates ZCR_EL2 indirectly via the untrapped ZCR_EL1 accessor, KVM restores the raw value into the physical ZCR_EL2 without capping, breaking the vector-length confinement policy. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis, and the EPSS probability is low (0.19%, 9th percentile); a vendor fix is available via the stable git tree.
RemediationAI
Upstream fix available (stable git commits); a released patched tag should be confirmed against your distribution. Apply the stable-tree commits 742a9b5ccd8c46caf983ca90c94f855466968e34 and 83726330748981372bde86ed5411d7b306612991 (https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/742a9b5ccd8c46caf983ca90c94f855466968e34 and https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/83726330748981372bde86ed5411d7b306612991), or install the fixed kernel package from your distribution once it ships these backports. As a compensating control until patched, avoid enabling KVM nested virtualization on affected arm64 SVE hosts (do not expose EL2 to guests), which fully removes the attack surface at the cost of losing nested-virt functionality; where nested virt is required, restrict which tenants may run guest hypervisors, since the trade-off is operational rather than a code change. Given local access and guest privilege are prerequisites, tightening who can run untrusted nested-virt workloads meaningfully reduces exposure.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The flaw lives in KVM's Armv8 nested-virtualization (NV) support for the Scalable Vector Extension (SVE). On CPUs with SVE, ZCR_EL2.LEN caps the maximum vector length usable at EL2/EL1. A VHE guest hypervisor can program this either through ZCR_EL2 (which traps to KVM, where LEN was immediately capped to the VM's own VL limit) or through the aliased ZCR_EL1 (which does not trap and was previously ignored). When restoring the SVE context for an L2 guest, KVM wrote the guest hypervisor's stored ZCR_EL2 view straight into hardware; a value set via the untrapped ZCR_EL1 path was never sanitized, so the physical register could allow wider VLs than policy permits. The affected product per CPE is the Linux kernel (cpe:2.3:a:linux:linux). No CWE was assigned, but the root cause is an improper enforcement of an intended state/resource restriction (a state-confinement / improper input-validation class bug) combined with a non-stateful register field; the fix moves VL capping to the restore points and makes ZCR_EL2 a sanitised register where only LEN is stateful.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local guest-hypervisor privilege (AV:L/PR:L); AC:H due to required arm64 SVE nested-virt configuration; scope crosses VM boundary (S:C) with information-disclosure-only impact (C:L, I/A:N).
Primary rating from Vendor (Linux).
CVSS VectorVendor: Linux
Lifecycle Timeline
4DescriptionCVE.org
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
KVM: arm64: Correctly cap ZCR_EL2 provided by a guest hypervisor
ZCR_EL2 can be updated by a VHE guest hypervisor either using ZCR_EL2 (which traps) or ZCR_EL1 (which does not trap). KVM handles both in different way:
- on ZCR_EL2 trap, ZCR_EL2.LEN is immediately capped at the VM's own
VL limit. This has the potential to break existing SW that relies on the full LEN field to be stateful.
- on ZCR_EL1 access, we do absolutely nothing.
On restoring the SVE context for an L2 guest, we directly restore the guest hypervisor's view of ZCR_EL2 into the physical ZCR_EL2. If the guest's view of the register was updated using the ZCR_EL2 accessor, the value has already been sanitised (with the caveat mentioned above).
But if the guest used ZCR_EL1, the raw value is written into the HW, and the L2 guest can now access VLs that it shouldn't.
Fix all the above by moving the VL capping to the restore points, ensuring that:
- the HW is always programmed with a capped value, irrespective of
the accessor being used,
- the ZCR_EL2.LEN field is always completely stateful, irrespective
of the accessor being used.
Additionally, move ZCR_EL2 to be a sanitised register, ensuring that only the LEN field is actually stateful. This requires some creative construction of the RES0 mask, as the sysreg generation script does not yet generate RAZ/WI fields.
[maz: rewrote commit message, tidy up access_zcr_el2()]
Executive ViewAI
A flaw in Linux kernel's KVM hypervisor could allow isolated guest systems to exceed their allocated computational resource boundaries in nested virtualization environments, potentially impacting workload performance and isolation guarantees. Organizations operating nested virtual machine configurations, particularly on ARM-based infrastructure, should prioritize assessment of their exposure, though exploitation remains unlikely with no public exploit identified at time of analysis. Vendor remediation is available and can be deployed immediately for affected environments.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
Same weakness CWE-20 – Improper Input Validation
View allSame technique Information Disclosure
View allVendor StatusVendor
SUSE
Severity: Important| Product | Status |
|---|---|
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Legacy 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Legacy 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Public Cloud 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Public Cloud 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP7 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 12 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 12 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 12 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 12 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 LTSS EXTREME CORE | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 LTSS EXTREME CORE | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS Extended Security | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS Extended Security | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy LTS 4.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server LTS 4.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server LTS 4.3 | Affected |
| SUSE CaaS Platform 4.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 6 | Affected |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 7 | Affected |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 7.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-ESPOS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-ESPOS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-ESPOS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-BCL | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-BCL | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-BCL | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.2 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.2 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.2 | Affected |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP5 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.3 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.4 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.4 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.6 | Affected |
EUVD-2026-45714
GHSA-9mxh-6wp4-9v6p
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Exploit-DB