In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
arm64/fpsimd: signal: Forbid non-streaming SVE payload on SME-only systems
When system_supports_sme() is true but system_supports_sve() is false,
restoring a specifically crafted SVE signal context can result in the
task erroneously having non-streaming SVE state. Subsequent attempts to
manipulate the task's FPSIMD/SVE/SME state can result in a variety of
problems, including fatal EL1 UNDEFs.
In such configurations, the kernel always creates an SVE signal context
when delivering a signal, and this can only be in one of two states:
(1) SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM is set, and an SVE payload is present containing
streaming mode SVE state. The recorded VL is the task's live
streaming VL.
(2) SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM is clear, and an SVE payload is not present. The
FPSIMD context contains the non-streaming mode FPSIMD state. The
recorded VL is 0.
Currently restore_sve_fpsimd_context() correctly rejects cases where
SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM is set and an SVE payload is not present, but fails to
reject cases where SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM is clear and an SVE payload is
present. Consequently, restore_sve_fpsimd_context() can place the task
in a state where it has non-streaming SVE state even when this is not
supported by HW.
For example, this can cause a later EL1 UNDEF when the kernel attempts to
restore the task's ZCR_EL1 value:
| # ./sme-sigcontext-to-sve
| Internal error: Oops - Undefined instruction: 0000000002000000 [#1] SMP
| Modules linked in:
| CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 131 Comm: sme-sigcontext- Not tainted 7.3.0-rc1 #1 PREEMPT
| Hardware name: linux,dummy-virt (DT)
| pstate: 61402009 (nZCv daif +PAN -UAO -TCO +DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--)
| pc : fpsimd_restore_current_state+0x258/0x458
| lr : exit_to_user_mode_loop+0xb8/0x188
| sp : ffff80008056be40
| x29: ffff80008056be40 x28: fff00000c1670000 x27: 0000000000000000
| x26: 0000000000000000 x25: 0000000000000000 x24: 0000000000000000
| x23: ffff80008056bec0 x22: 0000000000000008 x21: 0000000000000040
| x20: 0000000000000081 x19: 0000000008800010 x18: 0000000000000000
| x17: 0000fffffd412570 x16: 0000000000001000 x15: 0000fffffd4123b0
| x14: 0000fffffd412780 x13: 0000fffffd412be8 x12: 0000000047435300
| x11: 0000fffffd412570 x10: 0000000000000000 x9 : 0000000045585401
| x8 : fff00000c18a6c44 x7 : 0000000000000000 x6 : 0000000000000002
| x5 : 0000000000000002 x4 : ffff800080568000 x3 : 0000000000000001
| x2 : 0000000008800010 x1 : fff00000c1670000 x0 : 0000000008800000
| Call trace:
| fpsimd_restore_current_state+0x258/0x458 (P)
| exit_to_user_mode_loop+0xb8/0x188
| el0_svc+0x1cc/0x1d0
| el0t_64_sync_handler+0xa0/0xe4
| el0t_64_sync+0x198/0x19c
| Code: d5384101 f9400020 53175c03 36b80de0 (d5381202)
| ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---
| Kernel panic - not syncing: Oops - Undefined instruction: Fatal exception in interrupt
| Kernel Offset: 0x291fb1000000 from 0xffff800080000000
| PHYS_OFFSET: 0x40000000
| CPU features: 0x0,00000000,0052802f,ffb88f43,3afcf73f
| Memory Limit: none
Rework restore_sve_fpsimd_context() to reject cases where
SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM is clear and an SVE payload is not present. As
parse_user_sigframe() rejects SVE signal frames when neither SVE nor SME
are supported, it isn't necessary for restore_sve_fpsimd_context() to
handle the case where neither are supported.
arm64/fpsimd: signal: Forbid non-streaming SVE payload on SME-only systems
When system_supports_sme() is true but system_supports_sve() is false,
restoring a specifically crafted SVE signal context can result in the
task erroneously having non-streaming SVE state. Subsequent attempts to
manipulate the task's FPSIMD/SVE/SME state can result in a variety of
problems, including fatal EL1 UNDEFs.
In such configurations, the kernel always creates an SVE signal context
when delivering a signal, and this can only be in one of two states:
(1) SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM is set, and an SVE payload is present containing
streaming mode SVE state. The recorded VL is the task's live
streaming VL.
(2) SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM is clear, and an SVE payload is not present. The
FPSIMD context contains the non-streaming mode FPSIMD state. The
recorded VL is 0.
Currently restore_sve_fpsimd_context() correctly rejects cases where
SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM is set and an SVE payload is not present, but fails to
reject cases where SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM is clear and an SVE payload is
present. Consequently, restore_sve_fpsimd_context() can place the task
in a state where it has non-streaming SVE state even when this is not
supported by HW.
For example, this can cause a later EL1 UNDEF when the kernel attempts to
restore the task's ZCR_EL1 value:
| # ./sme-sigcontext-to-sve
| Internal error: Oops - Undefined instruction: 0000000002000000 [#1] SMP
| Modules linked in:
| CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 131 Comm: sme-sigcontext- Not tainted 7.3.0-rc1 #1 PREEMPT
| Hardware name: linux,dummy-virt (DT)
| pstate: 61402009 (nZCv daif +PAN -UAO -TCO +DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--)
| pc : fpsimd_restore_current_state+0x258/0x458
| lr : exit_to_user_mode_loop+0xb8/0x188
| sp : ffff80008056be40
| x29: ffff80008056be40 x28: fff00000c1670000 x27: 0000000000000000
| x26: 0000000000000000 x25: 0000000000000000 x24: 0000000000000000
| x23: ffff80008056bec0 x22: 0000000000000008 x21: 0000000000000040
| x20: 0000000000000081 x19: 0000000008800010 x18: 0000000000000000
| x17: 0000fffffd412570 x16: 0000000000001000 x15: 0000fffffd4123b0
| x14: 0000fffffd412780 x13: 0000fffffd412be8 x12: 0000000047435300
| x11: 0000fffffd412570 x10: 0000000000000000 x9 : 0000000045585401
| x8 : fff00000c18a6c44 x7 : 0000000000000000 x6 : 0000000000000002
| x5 : 0000000000000002 x4 : ffff800080568000 x3 : 0000000000000001
| x2 : 0000000008800010 x1 : fff00000c1670000 x0 : 0000000008800000
| Call trace:
| fpsimd_restore_current_state+0x258/0x458 (P)
| exit_to_user_mode_loop+0xb8/0x188
| el0_svc+0x1cc/0x1d0
| el0t_64_sync_handler+0xa0/0xe4
| el0t_64_sync+0x198/0x19c
| Code: d5384101 f9400020 53175c03 36b80de0 (d5381202)
| ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---
| Kernel panic - not syncing: Oops - Undefined instruction: Fatal exception in interrupt
| Kernel Offset: 0x291fb1000000 from 0xffff800080000000
| PHYS_OFFSET: 0x40000000
| CPU features: 0x0,00000000,0052802f,ffb88f43,3afcf73f
| Memory Limit: none
Rework restore_sve_fpsimd_context() to reject cases where
SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM is clear and an SVE payload is not present. As
parse_user_sigframe() rejects SVE signal frames when neither SVE nor SME
are supported, it isn't necessary for restore_sve_fpsimd_context() to
handle the case where neither are supported.
Advisories
No advisories yet.
Fixes
Solution
No solution given by the vendor.
Workaround
No workaround given by the vendor.
References
History
Sun, 18 Oct 2026 22:30:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Weaknesses | CWE-730 |
Sun, 18 Oct 2026 16:00:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: arm64/fpsimd: signal: Forbid non-streaming SVE payload on SME-only systems When system_supports_sme() is true but system_supports_sve() is false, restoring a specifically crafted SVE signal context can result in the task erroneously having non-streaming SVE state. Subsequent attempts to manipulate the task's FPSIMD/SVE/SME state can result in a variety of problems, including fatal EL1 UNDEFs. In such configurations, the kernel always creates an SVE signal context when delivering a signal, and this can only be in one of two states: (1) SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM is set, and an SVE payload is present containing streaming mode SVE state. The recorded VL is the task's live streaming VL. (2) SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM is clear, and an SVE payload is not present. The FPSIMD context contains the non-streaming mode FPSIMD state. The recorded VL is 0. Currently restore_sve_fpsimd_context() correctly rejects cases where SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM is set and an SVE payload is not present, but fails to reject cases where SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM is clear and an SVE payload is present. Consequently, restore_sve_fpsimd_context() can place the task in a state where it has non-streaming SVE state even when this is not supported by HW. For example, this can cause a later EL1 UNDEF when the kernel attempts to restore the task's ZCR_EL1 value: | # ./sme-sigcontext-to-sve | Internal error: Oops - Undefined instruction: 0000000002000000 [#1] SMP | Modules linked in: | CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 131 Comm: sme-sigcontext- Not tainted 7.3.0-rc1 #1 PREEMPT | Hardware name: linux,dummy-virt (DT) | pstate: 61402009 (nZCv daif +PAN -UAO -TCO +DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--) | pc : fpsimd_restore_current_state+0x258/0x458 | lr : exit_to_user_mode_loop+0xb8/0x188 | sp : ffff80008056be40 | x29: ffff80008056be40 x28: fff00000c1670000 x27: 0000000000000000 | x26: 0000000000000000 x25: 0000000000000000 x24: 0000000000000000 | x23: ffff80008056bec0 x22: 0000000000000008 x21: 0000000000000040 | x20: 0000000000000081 x19: 0000000008800010 x18: 0000000000000000 | x17: 0000fffffd412570 x16: 0000000000001000 x15: 0000fffffd4123b0 | x14: 0000fffffd412780 x13: 0000fffffd412be8 x12: 0000000047435300 | x11: 0000fffffd412570 x10: 0000000000000000 x9 : 0000000045585401 | x8 : fff00000c18a6c44 x7 : 0000000000000000 x6 : 0000000000000002 | x5 : 0000000000000002 x4 : ffff800080568000 x3 : 0000000000000001 | x2 : 0000000008800010 x1 : fff00000c1670000 x0 : 0000000008800000 | Call trace: | fpsimd_restore_current_state+0x258/0x458 (P) | exit_to_user_mode_loop+0xb8/0x188 | el0_svc+0x1cc/0x1d0 | el0t_64_sync_handler+0xa0/0xe4 | el0t_64_sync+0x198/0x19c | Code: d5384101 f9400020 53175c03 36b80de0 (d5381202) | ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]--- | Kernel panic - not syncing: Oops - Undefined instruction: Fatal exception in interrupt | Kernel Offset: 0x291fb1000000 from 0xffff800080000000 | PHYS_OFFSET: 0x40000000 | CPU features: 0x0,00000000,0052802f,ffb88f43,3afcf73f | Memory Limit: none Rework restore_sve_fpsimd_context() to reject cases where SVE_SIG_FLAG_SM is clear and an SVE payload is not present. As parse_user_sigframe() rejects SVE signal frames when neither SVE nor SME are supported, it isn't necessary for restore_sve_fpsimd_context() to handle the case where neither are supported. | |
| Title | arm64/fpsimd: signal: Forbid non-streaming SVE payload on SME-only systems | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
Projects
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Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-10-18T15:47:30.967Z
Reserved: 2026-09-25T10:25:14.367Z
Link: CVE-2026-98745
No data.
Status : Received
Published: 2026-10-18T16:17:28.237
Modified: 2026-10-18T16:17:28.237
Link: CVE-2026-98745
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
Updated: 2026-10-18T22:15:14Z
Weaknesses