[PATCH 15/17] KVM: arm64: Reject host access to protected VM private state

From: Fuad Tabba

Date: Mon Aug 31 2026 - 14:46:26 EST


A protected vCPU's register and debug state is no longer exposed to
the host. Host ioctls that would reach that state now fail rather
than operate on a copy that is not the guest's:

- KVM_GET_ONE_REG and KVM_SET_ONE_REG return -EPERM once the vCPU has
run: the copy then holds reset values plus what the exit handlers
marshal out. Pre-run access still builds the guest's boot state.
- KVM_ARM_VCPU_INIT returns -EPERM once the vCPU has run: it would
reset the host copy alone and rewrite mp_state, which EL2 reads
only at hyp vCPU creation, so a vCPU the guest powered off would
come back RUNNABLE.
- KVM_SET_VCPU_EVENTS rejects external-abort injection with -EPERM;
SError injection is forwarded and stays permitted.
- KVM_SET_GUEST_DEBUG returns -EPERM: a protected guest's debug state
is hypervisor-owned.

Signed-off-by: Fuad Tabba <fuad.tabba@xxxxxxxxx>
---
arch/arm64/kvm/arm.c | 7 +++++++
arch/arm64/kvm/guest.c | 19 +++++++++++++++++++
2 files changed, 26 insertions(+)

diff --git a/arch/arm64/kvm/arm.c b/arch/arm64/kvm/arm.c
index 3e00edce23a99..8caacdd4de020 100644
--- a/arch/arm64/kvm/arm.c
+++ b/arch/arm64/kvm/arm.c
@@ -1750,6 +1750,13 @@ static int kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_vcpu_init(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu,
bool power_off = false;
int ret;

+ /*
+ * Re-init would reset the host copy alone and rewrite mp_state
+ * after EL2 has read it. Pre-run init stays allowed.
+ */
+ if (kvm_vm_is_protected(vcpu->kvm) && vcpu_has_run_once(vcpu))
+ return -EPERM;
+
/*
* Treat the power-off vCPU feature as ephemeral. Clear the bit to avoid
* reflecting it in the finalized feature set, thus limiting its scope
diff --git a/arch/arm64/kvm/guest.c b/arch/arm64/kvm/guest.c
index 23f725e2cf745..3a0ea2ae4a307 100644
--- a/arch/arm64/kvm/guest.c
+++ b/arch/arm64/kvm/guest.c
@@ -701,6 +701,10 @@ int kvm_arm_copy_reg_indices(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu, u64 __user *uindices)

int kvm_arm_get_reg(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu, const struct kvm_one_reg *reg)
{
+ /* Once the vCPU has run, the host copy is not the guest's state. */
+ if (kvm_vm_is_protected(vcpu->kvm) && vcpu_has_run_once(vcpu))
+ return -EPERM;
+
/* We currently use nothing arch-specific in upper 32 bits */
if ((reg->id & ~KVM_REG_SIZE_MASK) >> 32 != KVM_REG_ARM64 >> 32)
return -EINVAL;
@@ -718,6 +722,10 @@ int kvm_arm_get_reg(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu, const struct kvm_one_reg *reg)

int kvm_arm_set_reg(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu, const struct kvm_one_reg *reg)
{
+ /* Writes build the boot state; once run, EL2 owns the registers. */
+ if (kvm_vm_is_protected(vcpu->kvm) && vcpu_has_run_once(vcpu))
+ return -EPERM;
+
/* We currently use nothing arch-specific in upper 32 bits */
if ((reg->id & ~KVM_REG_SIZE_MASK) >> 32 != KVM_REG_ARM64 >> 32)
return -EINVAL;
@@ -786,6 +794,13 @@ int __kvm_arm_vcpu_set_events(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu,
u64 esr = events->exception.serror_esr;
int ret = 0;

+ /*
+ * EL2 injects an external abort only to complete a forwarded abort.
+ * SError injection is forwarded.
+ */
+ if (kvm_vm_is_protected(vcpu->kvm) && ext_dabt_pending)
+ return -EPERM;
+
/*
* Immediately commit the pending SEA to the vCPU's architectural
* state which is necessary since we do not return a pending SEA
@@ -883,6 +898,10 @@ int kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_set_guest_debug(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu,
{
trace_kvm_set_guest_debug(vcpu, dbg->control);

+ /* A protected guest's debug state is not exposed to the host. */
+ if (kvm_vm_is_protected(vcpu->kvm))
+ return -EPERM;
+
if (dbg->control & ~KVM_GUESTDBG_VALID_MASK)
return -EINVAL;

--
2.39.5