Vulnerability-Lookup

GHSA-67F9-VVV7-WPQ7

Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-10-23 15:31 – Updated: 2026-10-24 15:32

Details

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

riscv: errata: select RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY for THEAD GHOSTWRITE

errata_probe_ghostwrite() only marks the CPU as vulnerable when it is called at the RISCV_ALTERNATIVES_EARLY_BOOT stage, and the mitigation in ghostwrite_enable_mitigation() only takes effect if the vulnerable state was recorded before the boot alternatives are patched.

The early boot stage is only executed when CONFIG_RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY is enabled, which currently is only selected by ERRATA_THEAD_MAE. In a kernel built with ERRATA_THEAD_GHOSTWRITE=y but ERRATA_THEAD_MAE=n, the early alternatives never run, so ghostwrite_state is never set to VULNERABLE: ghostwrite_enable_mitigation() returns false, xtheadvector remains enabled, and sysfs reports "Not affected" on a vulnerable T-Head C9xx CPU.

Select RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY from ERRATA_THEAD_GHOSTWRITE so that the vulnerability is detected in the early boot stage and the default mitigation is applied.

Severity

7.0 (High)


                  
                    CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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{
  "affected": [],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2026-99017"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [],
    "github_reviewed": false,
    "github_reviewed_at": null,
    "nvd_published_at": "2026-10-23T13:17:24Z",
    "severity": "HIGH"
  },
  "details": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nriscv: errata: select RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY for THEAD GHOSTWRITE\n\nerrata_probe_ghostwrite() only marks the CPU as vulnerable when it is\ncalled at the RISCV_ALTERNATIVES_EARLY_BOOT stage, and the mitigation\nin ghostwrite_enable_mitigation() only takes effect if the vulnerable\nstate was recorded before the boot alternatives are patched.\n\nThe early boot stage is only executed when CONFIG_RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY\nis enabled, which currently is only selected by ERRATA_THEAD_MAE. In a\nkernel built with ERRATA_THEAD_GHOSTWRITE=y but ERRATA_THEAD_MAE=n, the\nearly alternatives never run, so ghostwrite_state is never set to\nVULNERABLE: ghostwrite_enable_mitigation() returns false, xtheadvector\nremains enabled, and sysfs reports \"Not affected\" on a vulnerable\nT-Head C9xx CPU.\n\nSelect RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY from ERRATA_THEAD_GHOSTWRITE so that the\nvulnerability is detected in the early boot stage and the default\nmitigation is applied.",
  "id": "GHSA-67f9-vvv7-wpq7",
  "modified": "2026-10-24T15:32:50Z",
  "published": "2026-10-23T15:31:34Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-99017"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/298510bbc7c3017c0faf481c6ea66f1065b657b4"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7fee577a2fa78b9a76da015beec1ccf978746ebb"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fa465a7819ecbe5801b78c088d3cadaf2664b8ca"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ]
}

CVE-2026-99017 (GCVE-0-2026-99017)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-10-23 12:20 – Updated: 2026-10-24 14:10

Title

riscv: errata: select RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY for THEAD GHOSTWRITE

Summary

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: riscv: errata: select RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY for THEAD GHOSTWRITE errata_probe_ghostwrite() only marks the CPU as vulnerable when it is called at the RISCV_ALTERNATIVES_EARLY_BOOT stage, and the mitigation in ghostwrite_enable_mitigation() only takes effect if the vulnerable state was recorded before the boot alternatives are patched. The early boot stage is only executed when CONFIG_RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY is enabled, which currently is only selected by ERRATA_THEAD_MAE. In a kernel built with ERRATA_THEAD_GHOSTWRITE=y but ERRATA_THEAD_MAE=n, the early alternatives never run, so ghostwrite_state is never set to VULNERABLE: ghostwrite_enable_mitigation() returns false, xtheadvector remains enabled, and sysfs reports "Not affected" on a vulnerable T-Head C9xx CPU. Select RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY from ERRATA_THEAD_GHOSTWRITE so that the vulnerability is detected in the early boot stage and the default mitigation is applied.

Severity

7 (High)


                        
                          CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Assigner

Linux CNA under the mitre root

CNA scorecard D 53/100 over 7056 records in the last 180 days details

References

3 references

URL	Tags
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fa465a7819ecbe580…
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7fee577a2fa78b9a7…
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/298510bbc7c3017c0…

Impacted products

2 products

Vendor	Product	Version
Linux	Linux	Affected: 4bf97069239bcfca9840936313c7ac35a6e04488 , < fa465a7819ecbe5801b78c088d3cadaf2664b8ca (git) Affected: 4bf97069239bcfca9840936313c7ac35a6e04488 , < 7fee577a2fa78b9a76da015beec1ccf978746ebb (git) Affected: 4bf97069239bcfca9840936313c7ac35a6e04488 , < 298510bbc7c3017c0faf481c6ea66f1065b657b4 (git)
Linux	Linux	Affected: 6.14 Unaffected: 0 , < 6.14 (semver) Unaffected: 6.18.57 , ≤ 6.18.* (semver) Unaffected: 7.2.11 , ≤ 7.2.* (semver) Unaffected: 7.3 , ≤ * (original_commit_for_fix)

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{
  "containers": {
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
        {
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "arch/riscv/Kconfig.errata"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
            {
              "lessThan": "fa465a7819ecbe5801b78c088d3cadaf2664b8ca",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "4bf97069239bcfca9840936313c7ac35a6e04488",
              "versionType": "git"
            },
            {
              "lessThan": "7fee577a2fa78b9a76da015beec1ccf978746ebb",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "4bf97069239bcfca9840936313c7ac35a6e04488",
              "versionType": "git"
            },
            {
              "lessThan": "298510bbc7c3017c0faf481c6ea66f1065b657b4",
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "4bf97069239bcfca9840936313c7ac35a6e04488",
              "versionType": "git"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "defaultStatus": "affected",
          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "arch/riscv/Kconfig.errata"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "versions": [
            {
              "status": "affected",
              "version": "6.14"
            },
            {
              "lessThan": "6.14",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "0",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.18.*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "6.18.57",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "7.2.*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "7.2.11",
              "versionType": "semver"
            },
            {
              "lessThanOrEqual": "*",
              "status": "unaffected",
              "version": "7.3",
              "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "cpeApplicability": [
        {
          "nodes": [
            {
              "cpeMatch": [
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "6.18.57",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "6.14",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "7.2.11",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "6.14",
                  "vulnerable": true
                },
                {
                  "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                  "versionEndExcluding": "7.3",
                  "versionStartIncluding": "6.14",
                  "vulnerable": true
                }
              ],
              "negate": false,
              "operator": "OR"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "descriptions": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nriscv: errata: select RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY for THEAD GHOSTWRITE\n\nerrata_probe_ghostwrite() only marks the CPU as vulnerable when it is\ncalled at the RISCV_ALTERNATIVES_EARLY_BOOT stage, and the mitigation\nin ghostwrite_enable_mitigation() only takes effect if the vulnerable\nstate was recorded before the boot alternatives are patched.\n\nThe early boot stage is only executed when CONFIG_RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY\nis enabled, which currently is only selected by ERRATA_THEAD_MAE. In a\nkernel built with ERRATA_THEAD_GHOSTWRITE=y but ERRATA_THEAD_MAE=n, the\nearly alternatives never run, so ghostwrite_state is never set to\nVULNERABLE: ghostwrite_enable_mitigation() returns false, xtheadvector\nremains enabled, and sysfs reports \"Not affected\" on a vulnerable\nT-Head C9xx CPU.\n\nSelect RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY from ERRATA_THEAD_GHOSTWRITE so that the\nvulnerability is detected in the early boot stage and the default\nmitigation is applied."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV3_1": {
            "baseScore": 7,
            "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
            "version": "3.1"
          },
          "scenarios": [
            {
              "lang": "en",
              "value": "AV:L - A local process executes the GhostWrite vector sequence; its first vector instruction follows handle_exception() through do_trap_insn_illegal() to riscv_v_first_use_handler(), after which the faulty store executes in U-mode. No network protocol carries the causal input.\nAC:H - Exposure requires a vulnerable T-Head C9xx with xtheadvector and the unusual build combination ERRATA_THEAD_GHOSTWRITE=y plus ERRATA_THEAD_MAE=n; both errata options default to y, and an attacker cannot create this kernel configuration.\nPR:L - riscv_v_first_use_handler() and riscv_v_vstate_ctrl_set_current() contain no capability check, so an ordinary local user can enable vector state and execute the sequence; no administrative privilege or user namespace is required.\nUI:N - The attacking process itself enables or first-uses vector state and executes the faulty store; no victim must mount media, open a file, or perform another action.\nS:U - The missed disable_xtheadvector() call lets a user process escalate into the kernel on the same host; this is a local user-to-kernel privilege escalation under the host\u0027s existing security authority.\nC:H - Leaving xtheadvector enabled exposes GhostWrite\u0027s arbitrary physical-write primitive; overwriting a PTE\u0027s page-frame number creates an arbitrary physical-read mapping covering kernel and other-process memory.\nI:H - Because ghostwrite_enable_mitigation() returns false without the early VULNERABLE state, faulty high-order vector stores remain usable for attacker-chosen byte writes to physical memory, including PTEs and kernel or machine-mode code.\nA:H - The same unrestricted physical writes can corrupt kernel text, page tables, or device MMIO, causing an unrecoverable kernel crash or system hang."
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "providerMetadata": {
        "dateUpdated": "2026-10-24T14:10:04.808Z",
        "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "shortName": "Linux"
      },
      "references": [
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fa465a7819ecbe5801b78c088d3cadaf2664b8ca"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7fee577a2fa78b9a76da015beec1ccf978746ebb"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/298510bbc7c3017c0faf481c6ea66f1065b657b4"
        }
      ],
      "title": "riscv: errata: select RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY for THEAD GHOSTWRITE",
      "x_generator": {
        "engine": "bippy-1.2.0"
      }
    }
  },
  "cveMetadata": {
    "assignerOrgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
    "assignerShortName": "Linux",
    "cveId": "CVE-2026-99017",
    "datePublished": "2026-10-23T12:20:53.518Z",
    "dateReserved": "2026-09-25T10:25:14.386Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-10-24T14:10:04.808Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
  "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
  "dataVersion": "5.2"
}

Sightings

Author	Source	Type	Date	Other

Nomenclature

Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.

Vulnerability timeline

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The MITRE ATT&CK techniques below are AI-generated suggestions, inferred from the description of the vulnerability by the CIRCL/vulnerability-attack-technique-classification-roberta-base model, served locally by ML-Gateway. They have not been verified by an analyst and are provided for guidance only.
The approach is described in our paper Mapping CVEs to MITRE ATT&CK Techniques: A Curated Gold-Set Classifier and the Limits of LLM-Assisted Label Expansion.
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