In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
riscv: patch: fix handling of bpf-jit execmem addresses
Commit 8718e5a3090b ("riscv: patch: skip fixmap mapping when kernel text
is already writable") gated the core_kernel_text() branch of patch_map()
on CONFIG_STRICT_KERNEL_RWX, and explicitly left the vmalloc branch
unchanged. That branch has a separate problem.
That branch only creates a temporary writable fixmap alias when
CONFIG_STRICT_MODULE_RWX is enabled, and otherwise assumes the target is
directly writable and returns the address unchanged. That assumption no
longer holds: bpf_prog_pack_alloc calls set_memory_rox() on every pack
unconditionally in alloc_new_pack(), independently of any
CONFIG_STRICT_*_RWX option, so BPF text in the vmalloc area is read-only
regardless of what CONFIG_STRICT_MODULE_RWX says.
With CONFIG_STRICT_MODULE_RWX=n, patch_map() returns the read-only
address directly, the subsequent copy_to_kernel_nofault() takes a
page fault and returns -EFAULT. bpf_arch_text_copy() turns that into
-EINVAL, which propagates through bpf_jit_binary_pack_finalize() to the
WARN_ON() in bpf_int_jit_compile() and leaves the program un-JITed.
Note that BPF cannot be fixed the way kprobes was in
commit bdc46e507b59 ("riscv: mm: make EXECMEM_KPROBES writable without
CONFIG_STRICT_MODULE_RWX"). EXECMEM_BPF is already PAGE_KERNEL, i.e.
writable at allocation time; the read-only mapping is established
afterwards by generic code in alloc_new_pack(), which arch code cannot
influence. The only place this can be handled is patch_map().
This is the same problem that was fixed on arm64 by commit b1480ed230ac
("arm64: patching: fix handling of execmem addresses"), and the fix is
the same: CONFIG_EXECMEM is what actually tracks whether the vmalloc
area can hold executable memory that needs a temporary alias to be
written. CONFIG_BPF_JIT, CONFIG_KPROBES and CONFIG_MODULES all select
it.
Note that this is not limited to CONFIG_MODULES=n. Unlike arm64, riscv
selects CONFIG_ARCH_OPTIONAL_KERNEL_RWX, so CONFIG_STRICT_MODULE_RWX can
be disabled with CONFIG_MODULES=y as well, and the bug is reachable in
that configuration too.
The !CONFIG_MMU build is unaffected: it has its own __patch_insn_set()
and __patch_insn_write() implementations and never calls patch_map().
riscv: patch: fix handling of bpf-jit execmem addresses
Commit 8718e5a3090b ("riscv: patch: skip fixmap mapping when kernel text
is already writable") gated the core_kernel_text() branch of patch_map()
on CONFIG_STRICT_KERNEL_RWX, and explicitly left the vmalloc branch
unchanged. That branch has a separate problem.
That branch only creates a temporary writable fixmap alias when
CONFIG_STRICT_MODULE_RWX is enabled, and otherwise assumes the target is
directly writable and returns the address unchanged. That assumption no
longer holds: bpf_prog_pack_alloc calls set_memory_rox() on every pack
unconditionally in alloc_new_pack(), independently of any
CONFIG_STRICT_*_RWX option, so BPF text in the vmalloc area is read-only
regardless of what CONFIG_STRICT_MODULE_RWX says.
With CONFIG_STRICT_MODULE_RWX=n, patch_map() returns the read-only
address directly, the subsequent copy_to_kernel_nofault() takes a
page fault and returns -EFAULT. bpf_arch_text_copy() turns that into
-EINVAL, which propagates through bpf_jit_binary_pack_finalize() to the
WARN_ON() in bpf_int_jit_compile() and leaves the program un-JITed.
Note that BPF cannot be fixed the way kprobes was in
commit bdc46e507b59 ("riscv: mm: make EXECMEM_KPROBES writable without
CONFIG_STRICT_MODULE_RWX"). EXECMEM_BPF is already PAGE_KERNEL, i.e.
writable at allocation time; the read-only mapping is established
afterwards by generic code in alloc_new_pack(), which arch code cannot
influence. The only place this can be handled is patch_map().
This is the same problem that was fixed on arm64 by commit b1480ed230ac
("arm64: patching: fix handling of execmem addresses"), and the fix is
the same: CONFIG_EXECMEM is what actually tracks whether the vmalloc
area can hold executable memory that needs a temporary alias to be
written. CONFIG_BPF_JIT, CONFIG_KPROBES and CONFIG_MODULES all select
it.
Note that this is not limited to CONFIG_MODULES=n. Unlike arm64, riscv
selects CONFIG_ARCH_OPTIONAL_KERNEL_RWX, so CONFIG_STRICT_MODULE_RWX can
be disabled with CONFIG_MODULES=y as well, and the bug is reachable in
that configuration too.
The !CONFIG_MMU build is unaffected: it has its own __patch_insn_set()
and __patch_insn_write() implementations and never calls patch_map().
Metrics
Affected Vendors & Products
Advisories
No advisories yet.
Fixes
Solution
No solution given by the vendor.
Workaround
No workaround given by the vendor.
References
History
Mon, 26 Oct 2026 17:45:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| First Time appeared |
Linux linux
|
|
| Vendors & Products |
Linux linux
|
Mon, 26 Oct 2026 17:30:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Weaknesses | CWE-674 |
Mon, 26 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: riscv: patch: fix handling of bpf-jit execmem addresses Commit 8718e5a3090b ("riscv: patch: skip fixmap mapping when kernel text is already writable") gated the core_kernel_text() branch of patch_map() on CONFIG_STRICT_KERNEL_RWX, and explicitly left the vmalloc branch unchanged. That branch has a separate problem. That branch only creates a temporary writable fixmap alias when CONFIG_STRICT_MODULE_RWX is enabled, and otherwise assumes the target is directly writable and returns the address unchanged. That assumption no longer holds: bpf_prog_pack_alloc calls set_memory_rox() on every pack unconditionally in alloc_new_pack(), independently of any CONFIG_STRICT_*_RWX option, so BPF text in the vmalloc area is read-only regardless of what CONFIG_STRICT_MODULE_RWX says. With CONFIG_STRICT_MODULE_RWX=n, patch_map() returns the read-only address directly, the subsequent copy_to_kernel_nofault() takes a page fault and returns -EFAULT. bpf_arch_text_copy() turns that into -EINVAL, which propagates through bpf_jit_binary_pack_finalize() to the WARN_ON() in bpf_int_jit_compile() and leaves the program un-JITed. Note that BPF cannot be fixed the way kprobes was in commit bdc46e507b59 ("riscv: mm: make EXECMEM_KPROBES writable without CONFIG_STRICT_MODULE_RWX"). EXECMEM_BPF is already PAGE_KERNEL, i.e. writable at allocation time; the read-only mapping is established afterwards by generic code in alloc_new_pack(), which arch code cannot influence. The only place this can be handled is patch_map(). This is the same problem that was fixed on arm64 by commit b1480ed230ac ("arm64: patching: fix handling of execmem addresses"), and the fix is the same: CONFIG_EXECMEM is what actually tracks whether the vmalloc area can hold executable memory that needs a temporary alias to be written. CONFIG_BPF_JIT, CONFIG_KPROBES and CONFIG_MODULES all select it. Note that this is not limited to CONFIG_MODULES=n. Unlike arm64, riscv selects CONFIG_ARCH_OPTIONAL_KERNEL_RWX, so CONFIG_STRICT_MODULE_RWX can be disabled with CONFIG_MODULES=y as well, and the bug is reachable in that configuration too. The !CONFIG_MMU build is unaffected: it has its own __patch_insn_set() and __patch_insn_write() implementations and never calls patch_map(). | |
| Title | riscv: patch: fix handling of bpf-jit execmem addresses | |
| 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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MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-10-26T14:52:00.860Z
Reserved: 2026-09-25T10:25:14.390Z
Link: CVE-2026-99092
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Received
Published: 2026-10-26T15:16:48.110
Modified: 2026-10-26T15:16:48.110
Link: CVE-2026-99092
Redhat
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
Updated: 2026-10-26T17:30:15Z
Weaknesses