{"id":"CVE-2021-47092","state":"PUBLISHED","title":"KVM: VMX: Always clear vmx->fail on emulation_required","description":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nKVM: VMX: Always clear vmx->fail on emulation_required\n\nRevert a relatively recent change that set vmx->fail if the vCPU is in L2\nand emulation_required is true, as that behavior is completely bogus.\nSetting vmx->fail and synthesizing a VM-Exit is contradictory and wrong:\n\n  (a) it's impossible to have both a VM-Fail and VM-Exit\n  (b) vmcs.EXIT_REASON is not modified on VM-Fail\n  (c) emulation_required refers to guest state and guest state checks are\n      always VM-Exits, not VM-Fails.\n\nFor KVM specifically, emulation_required is handled before nested exits\nin __vmx_handle_exit(), thus setting vmx->fail has no immediate effect,\ni.e. KVM calls into handle_invalid_guest_state() and vmx->fail is ignored.\nSetting vmx->fail can ultimately result in a WARN in nested_vmx_vmexit()\nfiring when tearing down the VM as KVM never expects vmx->fail to be set\nwhen L2 is active, KVM always reflects those errors into L1.\n\n  ------------[ cut here ]------------\n  WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 21158 at arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c:4548\n                                nested_vmx_vmexit+0x16bd/0x17e0\n                                arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c:4547\n  Modules linked in:\n  CPU: 0 PID: 21158 Comm: syz-executor.1 Not tainted 5.16.0-rc3-syzkaller #0\n  Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 01/01/2011\n  RIP: 0010:nested_vmx_vmexit+0x16bd/0x17e0 arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c:4547\n  Code: <0f> 0b e9 2e f8 ff ff e8 57 b3 5d 00 0f 0b e9 00 f1 ff ff 89 e9 80\n  Call Trace:\n   vmx_leave_nested arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c:6220 [inline]\n   nested_vmx_free_vcpu+0x83/0xc0 arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c:330\n   vmx_free_vcpu+0x11f/0x2a0 arch/x86/kvm/vmx/vmx.c:6799\n   kvm_arch_vcpu_destroy+0x6b/0x240 arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:10989\n   kvm_vcpu_destroy+0x29/0x90 arch/x86/kvm/../../../virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:441\n   kvm_free_vcpus arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:11426 [inline]\n   kvm_arch_destroy_vm+0x3ef/0x6b0 arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:11545\n   kvm_destroy_vm arch/x86/kvm/../../../virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:1189 [inline]\n   kvm_put_kvm+0x751/0xe40 arch/x86/kvm/../../../virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:1220\n   kvm_vcpu_release+0x53/0x60 arch/x86/kvm/../../../virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:3489\n   __fput+0x3fc/0x870 fs/file_table.c:280\n   task_work_run+0x146/0x1c0 kernel/task_work.c:164\n   exit_task_work include/linux/task_work.h:32 [inline]\n   do_exit+0x705/0x24f0 kernel/exit.c:832\n   do_group_exit+0x168/0x2d0 kernel/exit.c:929\n   get_signal+0x1740/0x2120 kernel/signal.c:2852\n   arch_do_signal_or_restart+0x9c/0x730 arch/x86/kernel/signal.c:868\n   handle_signal_work kernel/entry/common.c:148 [inline]\n   exit_to_user_mode_loop kernel/entry/common.c:172 [inline]\n   exit_to_user_mode_prepare+0x191/0x220 kernel/entry/common.c:207\n   __syscall_exit_to_user_mode_work kernel/entry/common.c:289 [inline]\n   syscall_exit_to_user_mode+0x2e/0x70 kernel/entry/common.c:300\n   do_syscall_64+0x53/0xd0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:86\n   entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae","publishedAt":"2024-03-04T18:10:40.037Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-11T13:47:53.402Z","severity":null,"assigner":"Linux","products":["Linux Linux"],"affected":[{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"unaffected","versions":[{"version":"c8607e4a086fae05efe5bffb47c5199c65e7216e","status":"affected","lessThan":"e4e4e7cb229821cd215031abc47efdab5486a67c","versionType":"git"},{"version":"c8607e4a086fae05efe5bffb47c5199c65e7216e","status":"affected","lessThan":"a80dfc025924024d2c61a4c1b8ef62b2fce76a04","versionType":"git"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["arch/x86/kvm/vmx/vmx.c"]},{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"affected","versions":[{"version":"5.15","status":"affected"},{"version":"0","status":"unaffected","lessThan":"5.15","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"5.15.12","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"5.15.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"5.16","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"*","versionType":"original_commit_for_fix"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["arch/x86/kvm/vmx/vmx.c"]}],"references":["https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e4e4e7cb229821cd215031abc47efdab5486a67c","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a80dfc025924024d2c61a4c1b8ef62b2fce76a04"],"weaknesses":[],"ingestedAt":"2026-10-29T19:49:19.404Z","source":{"repository":"CVEProject/cvelistV5","path":"cves/2021/47xxx/CVE-2021-47092.json","commit":"556c9d3a8cd17e218bb8e452ba7cd619a384ff47"},"raw":{"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.2","cveMetadata":{"cveId":"CVE-2021-47092","state":"PUBLISHED","datePublished":"2024-03-04T18:10:40.037Z","dateUpdated":"2026-05-11T13:47:53.402Z","assignerShortName":"Linux","assignerOrgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","dateReserved":"2024-02-29T22:33:44.300Z"},"containers":{"cna":{"title":"KVM: VMX: Always clear vmx->fail on emulation_required","descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nKVM: VMX: Always clear vmx->fail on emulation_required\n\nRevert a relatively recent change that set vmx->fail if the vCPU is in L2\nand emulation_required is true, as that behavior is completely bogus.\nSetting vmx->fail and synthesizing a VM-Exit is contradictory and wrong:\n\n  (a) it's impossible to have both a VM-Fail and VM-Exit\n  (b) vmcs.EXIT_REASON is not modified on VM-Fail\n  (c) emulation_required refers to guest state and guest state checks are\n      always VM-Exits, not VM-Fails.\n\nFor KVM specifically, emulation_required is handled before nested exits\nin __vmx_handle_exit(), thus setting vmx->fail has no immediate effect,\ni.e. KVM calls into handle_invalid_guest_state() and vmx->fail is ignored.\nSetting vmx->fail can ultimately result in a WARN in nested_vmx_vmexit()\nfiring when tearing down the VM as KVM never expects vmx->fail to be set\nwhen L2 is active, KVM always reflects those errors into L1.\n\n  ------------[ cut here ]------------\n  WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 21158 at arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c:4548\n                                nested_vmx_vmexit+0x16bd/0x17e0\n                                arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c:4547\n  Modules linked in:\n  CPU: 0 PID: 21158 Comm: syz-executor.1 Not tainted 5.16.0-rc3-syzkaller #0\n  Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 01/01/2011\n  RIP: 0010:nested_vmx_vmexit+0x16bd/0x17e0 arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c:4547\n  Code: <0f> 0b e9 2e f8 ff ff e8 57 b3 5d 00 0f 0b e9 00 f1 ff ff 89 e9 80\n  Call Trace:\n   vmx_leave_nested arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c:6220 [inline]\n   nested_vmx_free_vcpu+0x83/0xc0 arch/x86/kvm/vmx/nested.c:330\n   vmx_free_vcpu+0x11f/0x2a0 arch/x86/kvm/vmx/vmx.c:6799\n   kvm_arch_vcpu_destroy+0x6b/0x240 arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:10989\n   kvm_vcpu_destroy+0x29/0x90 arch/x86/kvm/../../../virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:441\n   kvm_free_vcpus arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:11426 [inline]\n   kvm_arch_destroy_vm+0x3ef/0x6b0 arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:11545\n   kvm_destroy_vm arch/x86/kvm/../../../virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:1189 [inline]\n   kvm_put_kvm+0x751/0xe40 arch/x86/kvm/../../../virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:1220\n   kvm_vcpu_release+0x53/0x60 arch/x86/kvm/../../../virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:3489\n   __fput+0x3fc/0x870 fs/file_table.c:280\n   task_work_run+0x146/0x1c0 kernel/task_work.c:164\n   exit_task_work include/linux/task_work.h:32 [inline]\n   do_exit+0x705/0x24f0 kernel/exit.c:832\n   do_group_exit+0x168/0x2d0 kernel/exit.c:929\n   get_signal+0x1740/0x2120 kernel/signal.c:2852\n   arch_do_signal_or_restart+0x9c/0x730 arch/x86/kernel/signal.c:868\n   handle_signal_work kernel/entry/common.c:148 [inline]\n   exit_to_user_mode_loop kernel/entry/common.c:172 [inline]\n   exit_to_user_mode_prepare+0x191/0x220 kernel/entry/common.c:207\n   __syscall_exit_to_user_mode_work kernel/entry/common.c:289 [inline]\n   syscall_exit_to_user_mode+0x2e/0x70 kernel/entry/common.c:300\n   do_syscall_64+0x53/0xd0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:86\n   entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xae"}],"affected":[{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"unaffected","versions":[{"version":"c8607e4a086fae05efe5bffb47c5199c65e7216e","status":"affected","lessThan":"e4e4e7cb229821cd215031abc47efdab5486a67c","versionType":"git"},{"version":"c8607e4a086fae05efe5bffb47c5199c65e7216e","status":"affected","lessThan":"a80dfc025924024d2c61a4c1b8ef62b2fce76a04","versionType":"git"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["arch/x86/kvm/vmx/vmx.c"]},{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"affected","versions":[{"version":"5.15","status":"affected"},{"version":"0","status":"unaffected","lessThan":"5.15","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"5.15.12","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"5.15.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"5.16","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"*","versionType":"original_commit_for_fix"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["arch/x86/kvm/vmx/vmx.c"]}],"references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e4e4e7cb229821cd215031abc47efdab5486a67c"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a80dfc025924024d2c61a4c1b8ef62b2fce76a04"}],"providerMetadata":{"shortName":"Linux","orgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","dateUpdated":"2026-05-11T13:47:53.402Z"},"cpeApplicability":[{"nodes":[{"operator":"OR","negate":false,"cpeMatch":[{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"5.15","versionEndExcluding":"5.15.12"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"5.15","versionEndExcluding":"5.16"}]}]}],"x_generator":{"engine":"bippy-1.2.0"}},"adp":[{"title":"CISA 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