# CVE-2026-89960: s390/vfio-ap: fix stale pqap_hook pointer on error in vfio_ap_mdev_set_kvm()

> A use-after-free in the Linux kernel's s390/vfio-ap driver allows guest code execution or privilege escalation via a stale pointer dereference.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/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:** 16 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-101528, BELL-CVE-2026-89960, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-89960, GHSA-gfv9-x355-hv69, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-89960

## What is CVE-2026-89960?

CVE-2026-89960 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 16 Sep 2026. 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:

s390/vfio-ap: fix stale pqap_hook pointer on error in vfio_ap_mdev_set_kvm()

In vfio_ap_mdev_set_kvm(), kvm->arch.crypto.pqap_hook is set to
&matrix_mdev->pqap_hook before the update locks are acquired and the
mdev list is checked for a conflicting assignment. If another mdev is
already attached to the same KVM instance, the function returns -EPERM
without restoring the hook pointer, leaving kvm->arch.crypto.pqap_hook
pointing at the failing matrix_mdev instead of the mdev that legitimately
owns the KVM.

Since matrix_mdev->kvm is never set on this error path,
vfio_ap_mdev_unset_kvm() will not clean up the hook when matrix_mdev
is later closed. If matrix_mdev is subsequently freed, any PQAP
instruction executed by the guest will dereference the stale pointer
through pqap_hook_rwsem, resulting in a use-after-free.

Since kvm->arch.crypto.pqap_hook is only set in the vfio_ap_mdev_set_kvm()
function and is cleared in the vfio_ap_mdev_unset_kvm() function, a check
for 'kvm->arch.crypto.pqap_hook != NULL' is all that is needed to determine
whether it belongs to another mdev. This will alleviate the need to iterate
the matrix_dev->mdev_list list to see if the kvm object is assigned to
another mdev.This was introduced in v3 to alleviate the need to take the
mdevs_lock while iterating the list; however, this did not prevent a
potential race condition.

The pqap_hook_rwsem(write) is now performed inside
get_update_locks_for_kvm(), which is updated to acquire
pqap_hook_rwsem(write) between kvm->lock and mdevs_lock. This ordering
is consistent with the PQAP intercept path, which acquires pqap_hook_rwsem
in read mode while srcu is held under vcpu->mutex, establishing the
dependency: kvm->lock -> vcpu->mutex -> srcu -> pqap_hook_rwsem(read).

The pqap_hook_rwsem is now released inside the
release_update_locks_for_kvm(), which is updated to release
pqap_hook_rwsem(write) between mdevs_lock and kvm->lock.

Additionally, kvm_put_kvm() in vfio_ap_mdev_unset_kvm() is moved
after release_update_locks_for_kvm(). Previously it was called while
kvm->lock was held; if it were ever the last reference, kvm_destroy_vm()
would run under kvm->lock, which would deadlock.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-89960?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-89960?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-89960 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-89960 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-89960 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-89960 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 16 Sep 2026. 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-2026-89960 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. 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-2026-89960/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-89960/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-89960
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-89960
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-89960

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-89960/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.