CVE-2026-89981 PUBLISHED

arm64: Don't read GMID_EL1 when MTE is disabled

Assigner: Linux
Reserved: 11.09.2026 Published: 16.09.2026 Updated: 16.09.2026

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

arm64: Don't read GMID_EL1 when MTE is disabled

__cpuinfo_store_cpu() gates the GMID_EL1 read on the raw ID_AA64PFR1_EL1, so it reads the register even when the kernel has disabled MTE (CONFIG_ARM64_MTE=n or arm64.nomte). KVM sets HCR_EL2.TID5 in that case, and pKVM injects an UNDEF the host cannot handle:

Internal error: Oops - Undefined instruction: 0000000002000000 [#1] SMP pc : __cpuinfo_store_cpu+0xf4/0x264 Kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill the idle task!

Only pKVM reaches it, and only after a CPU is offlined and brought back online: its CPU_ON relay sets the host HCR before the CPU enters EL1, while plain nVHE sets it at CPUHP_AP_KVM_ONLINE.

Gate the read on the CPU's own ID_AA64PFR1_EL1 with the command-line override applied, and on CONFIG_ARM64_MTE, which no register reflects. The boot CPU stores its registers before init_cpu_features() strips an unsafe override, so clamp against the hardware value here too.

Product Status

Vendor Linux
Product Linux
Versions Default: unaffected
  • affected from f35abcbb8a084db4c24b66ccc8db0405c08e2f61 to d2d22ff377cd43f2e9660426ff22e3cd4c534637 (excl.)
  • affected from f35abcbb8a084db4c24b66ccc8db0405c08e2f61 to 5445d64199626974269fcdf347769ad44b0bb53b (excl.)
Vendor Linux
Product Linux
Versions Default: affected
  • Version 7.0 is affected
  • unaffected from 0 to 7.0 (excl.)
  • unaffected from 7.2.5 to 7.2.* (incl.)
  • unaffected from 7.3-rc2 to * (incl.)

References