Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessGuest assigned single AP adapter/domain via vfio-ap mdev
-
DeliveryHost operator removes last adapter/domain from AP config
-
Exploitbitmap_andnot() returns false on empty result, do_hotplug stays 0
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ExecutionGuest APCB update skipped
-
ImpactGuest retains stale crypto hardware access
Vulnerability Assessment
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires the s390 vfio-ap driver in use with a KVM guest assigned AP crypto resources via an mdev, AND a host-side operation that removes the LAST assigned AP adapter, domain, or control domain from the host's AP configuration - that specific 'resulting bitmap becomes empty' case is what triggers the skipped guest APCB update. Limiting factors: exploitation is confined to IBM Z / s390 hardware with crypto adapters (CEX cards) configured for guest passthrough; it is local-only (AV:L), needs privileged host management access to alter the AP configuration, and the guest does not initiate the flaw - it passively retains access. There is no remote or unauthenticated path and no user-interaction vector. |
| Impact | This is a functional/isolation logic bug in the s390 vfio-ap crypto passthrough driver, not a memory-corruption or remote-code-execution flaw. The vendor CVSS of 8.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H) substantially overstates real-world risk. There is NO EPSS score, NO CISA KEV listing, and NO public exploit identified - signals that align far better with a low-urgency internal correctness fix than with a critical, actively-exploited vulnerability. Crucially, the condition is not attacker-triggered: it arises when a host operator removes the LAST AP adapter, domain, or control domain from the host AP configuration, at which point a bitmap_andnot() return-value misuse causes the guest APCB update to be skipped, leaving the KVM guest with stale hardware access to the now-'removed' AP device. The C:H/I:H/A:H claim is unsupported - the actual impact is bounded, unauthorized crypto-device access retained by an already-privileged guest, with no availability/DoS component. The PR:L rating is questionable: reaching this path requires privileged host-side manipulation of the AP configuration (PR:H). The vendor CVSS attack complexity/privilege signals conflict with the description - verify PR level with vendor, as this is an operator-dependent isolation gap rather than a low-privilege remote exploit. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A host administrator removes the last AP crypto adapter or domain assigned to a guest's mdev from the host AP configuration (e.g. to reassign the crypto resource to a different guest), expecting the device to be hot-unplugged. Due to the bitmap_andnot() return-value bug the guest's shadow APCB is never pushed to KVM, so the guest silently retains hardware access to the crypto device it should no longer reach, breaking isolation between the guest and reassigned/removed crypto resources. No public exploit code exists and this requires the specific host management action to occur. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 16, 2026
Stale hardware access to unplugged crypto resources in Linux KVM guests on IBM Z (s390) stems from a logic error in the vfio-ap mediated-device driver: when the last AP adapter, domain, or control domain is removed from the host's AP configuration, the shadow APCB is cleared but the bitmap_andnot() return value is false for an empty result, so the do_hotplug flag never gets set and the guest's APCB is never refreshed. Only s390 hosts with CEX crypto adapters configured for guest passthrough are affected, exploitation is local and requires privileged host management access to modify the AP configuration, and no public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis. The practical consequence is a crypto-resource isolation failure in which the guest passively retains access to AP devices the administrator believes were unplugged, not memory corruption or code execution.
RemediationAI
Apply the vendor-released kernel fixes: upgrade to Linux 6.1.188, 6.6.157, 6.12.110, 6.18.51, 7.2.5, or 7.3-rc1 (or later), or cherry-pick the relevant stable commit for your branch - f58e824de8577fe411f6199d659731a0f86a7275, 3a9b049bbdc40165d7f3e20b818eec95e5694d96, 753aa3bb1273bc0d36adb013d5915cc8ff6b72a9, c45753c32d452d10d8efaeb52587e9e6e8126e33, 04b35dd88c108b2d2ceaaa396aba1cb4049d5831, or 917f509bfb88048094dbb85c4e9dbc4d6fe4a886, per https://git.kernel.org/stable/. Because the defect only manifests when the last assigned AP adapter, domain, or control domain is removed while an mdev is live, an operational workaround is to avoid host AP configuration changes that empty a guest's assignment: instead, first stop or undeploy the guest (or remove and re-create the vfio-ap mdev so a fresh APCB is built), make the host AP change, then start the guest again - the trade-off is guest downtime instead of a silent over-privilege. Alternatively, keep at least one AP resource assigned to the mdev across changes and issue a full mdev unbind/rebind to force vfio_ap_mdev_update_guest_apcb() to run, accepting that this interrupts guest crypto workloads. Restrict host AP-configuration modification to privileged, audited maintenance windows, and monitor for guests that still show AP queues after their host assignment was cleared, since detection relies on configuration drift rather than a runtime error.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
The flaw is in vfio_ap_mdev_hot_unplug_cfg(), part of the vfio-ap driver that lets a KVM guest on IBM Z (s390) be assigned AP (Adjunct Processor) crypto resources - adapters, domains, and control domains backed by CEX crypto cards - through a mediated device (mdev). Each mdev maintains a shadow AP Configuration Block (APCB) that is handed to the guest to define which AP queues it may use, and vfio_ap_mdev_update_guest_apcb() is responsible for pushing that updated APCB into the running guest when the host's AP configuration changes. The update path is gated by a do_hotplug flag whose value is derived from the return of bitmap_andnot(), which computes the shadow APCB minus the removal mask. bitmap_andnot() returns the number of bits set in the resulting destination bitmap, so when the removal mask covers every bit currently assigned to the mdev - that is, the last adapter, domain, or control domain is removed - the destination bitmap is empty and the function returns zero/false. The bit clearing side effect still happens, but do_hotplug stays 0, the guest APCB update call is skipped, and KVM continues to present (and the guest continues to use) AP devices that no longer exist in the host configuration. The corrective upstream change replaces the return-value test with bitmap_intersects() to detect overlap with the removal mask, then calls bitmap_andnot() purely for its clearing side effect and unconditionally sets do_hotplug. No CWE is assigned in the supplied data; the root-cause class is a faulty control-flow/return-value assumption about a bitmap helper (in the family of 'incorrect check of function return value'), producing an improper-access-control/isolation outcome rather than a memory-safety defect.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Triggered only by privileged host AP-config removal (PR:H, AV:L); scope changes to the KVM guest (S:C) which retains bounded unauthorized crypto access (C:L/I:L); no availability/DoS impact (A:N).
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
Primary rating from Vendor (Linux).
CVSS VectorVendor: Linux
Lifecycle Timeline
4DescriptionCVE.org
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
s390/vfio-ap: Fix hot-unplug skipped when last AP adapter or domain removed
The vfio_ap_mdev_hot_unplug_cfg() function uses the return value of bitmap_andnot() to determine whether the guest APCB needs to be updated. However, bitmap_andnot() returns false when the resulting destination bitmap is empty. This means that if the only adapter, domain or control domain assigned to an mdev is removed from the host's AP configuration, the bit is correctly cleared from the shadow APCB, but bitmap_andnot() returns false because the result is an empty bitmap. Consequently, do_hotplug remains 0 and vfio_ap_mdev_update_guest_apcb() is never called, leaving the KVM guest with stale hardware access to the unplugged AP devices.
Fix this by replacing the bitmap_andnot() return value check with bitmap_intersects() to determine whether the shadow APCB actually overlaps with the removal mask. If there is an intersection, call bitmap_andnot() solely for its side effect of clearing the bits, then unconditionally set do_hotplug to trigger the guest APCB update.
Executive ViewAI
Organizations running Linux KVM guests on IBM Z (s390) with CEX crypto adapters configured for passthrough are affected by a high-severity vulnerability (CVE-2026-89957) that can prevent the proper revocation of cryptographic resources from guests. This could allow a guest to retain access to crypto adapters even after an administrator believes they have been unplugged, potentially exposing sensitive cryptographic operations or keys to unauthorized parties. While exploitation requires privileged host management access and no public exploit identified at time of analysis, leadership should ensure timely patching to maintain crypto isolation and regulatory compliance.
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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.
Arbitrary host file exfiltration from Cloud Hypervisor VMM versions 34.0-50.0. CVSS 10.0. Patch available.
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Stale TLB entries can be reused by an L2 guest in the Linux kernel's KVM nested virtualization (nVMX) implementation on
Linux kernel's KVM nested-VMX (nVMX) emulation can leave stale L2 guest TLB entries on a physical CPU, because KVM execu
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Same 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 Micro 5.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Not-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 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 Micro 6.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 | Not-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 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP7 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 12 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | Not-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 Module for Basesystem 15 SP4 | Not-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 | Not-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 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 LTSS EXTREME CORE | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | Not-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 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE CaaS Platform 4.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 6 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 7 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 7.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-ESPOS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-ESPOS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-ESPOS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-BCL | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-BCL | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-BCL | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy LTS 4.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server LTS 4.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server LTS 4.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP5 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.3 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.4 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.4 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.6 | Affected |
EUVD-2026-80557
GHSA-pgcj-5wj3-jcmr
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Exploit-DB