# CVE-2022-48727: KVM: arm64: Avoid consuming a stale esr value when SError occur

> A stale register value in KVM arm64 can cause guest instruction corruption, leading to potential denial of service or instability in virtualized environments.

- **Severity:** High 7.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 20 Jun 2024
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2022-48727, GHSA-hhpm-mjg9-jj2m, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-48727

## What is CVE-2022-48727?

CVE-2022-48727 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 20 Jun 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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

KVM: arm64: Avoid consuming a stale esr value when SError occur

When any exception other than an IRQ occurs, the CPU updates the ESR_EL2
register with the exception syndrome. An SError may also become pending,
and will be synchronised by KVM. KVM notes the exception type, and whether
an SError was synchronised in exit_code.

When an exception other than an IRQ occurs, fixup_guest_exit() updates
vcpu->arch.fault.esr_el2 from the hardware register. When an SError was
synchronised, the vcpu esr value is used to determine if the exception
was due to an HVC. If so, ELR_EL2 is moved back one instruction. This
is so that KVM can process the SError first, and re-execute the HVC if
the guest survives the SError.

But if an IRQ synchronises an SError, the vcpu's esr value is stale.
If the previous non-IRQ exception was an HVC, KVM will corrupt ELR_EL2,
causing an unrelated guest instruction to be executed twice.

Check ARM_EXCEPTION_CODE() before messing with ELR_EL2, IRQs don't
update this register so don't need to check.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-48727?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-48727?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2022-48727 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-48727 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-48727 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-48727 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 20 Jun 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-48727 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-48727/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-48727/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-48727
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-48727
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-48727

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-48727/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.