Re: [PATCH v2 3/5] KVM: arm64: Validate the host-provided vgic model in pKVM

From: Suzuki K Poulose

Date: Mon Oct 12 2026 - 08:18:19 EST


On 11/10/2026 15:36, Fuad Tabba wrote:
EL2 copies vgic_model from the host's struct kvm unchecked, and the nVHE
world switch dispatches on it with no cpucap guard. A host writing
KVM_DEV_TYPE_ARM_VGIC_V5 makes EL2 access GICv5 CPU interface registers
that are UNDEFINED without FEAT_GCIE, and panics the hypervisor on any
GICv3 machine.

Accept only GICv3, the one model pKVM supports, and force anything else
to 0, as for a VM with no in-kernel irqchip. EL2 reads the model only to
pick the GICv5 world switch and to emulate GICv3 CPU interface accesses,
and the host's own copy is left alone.

Fixes: 9b8e3d4ca0e73 ("KVM: arm64: gic-v5: Implement GICv5 load/put and save/restore")
Signed-off-by: Fuad Tabba <fuad.tabba@xxxxxxxxx>
---
arch/arm64/kvm/hyp/nvhe/pkvm.c | 10 ++++++++--
1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/arm64/kvm/hyp/nvhe/pkvm.c b/arch/arm64/kvm/hyp/nvhe/pkvm.c
index 459bd9eb7e4bc..a9d0e94709199 100644
--- a/arch/arm64/kvm/hyp/nvhe/pkvm.c
+++ b/arch/arm64/kvm/hyp/nvhe/pkvm.c
@@ -340,13 +340,19 @@ static void pkvm_init_features_from_host(struct pkvm_hyp_vm *hyp_vm, const struc
{
struct kvm *kvm = &hyp_vm->kvm;
unsigned long host_arch_flags = READ_ONCE(host_kvm->arch.flags);
+ u32 vgic_model = READ_ONCE(host_kvm->arch.vgic.vgic_model);
DECLARE_BITMAP(allowed_features, KVM_VCPU_MAX_FEATURES);
/* CTR_EL0 is always under host control, even for protected VMs. */
hyp_vm->kvm.arch.ctr_el0 = host_kvm->arch.ctr_el0;
- /* Preserve the vgic model so that GICv3 emulation works */
- hyp_vm->kvm.arch.vgic.vgic_model = host_kvm->arch.vgic.vgic_model;
+ /*
+ * pKVM runs only GICv3. Anything else becomes 0, the model of a VM
+ * with no in-kernel irqchip, which keeps EL2 off the GICv5 registers.
+ */
+ if (vgic_model != KVM_DEV_TYPE_ARM_VGIC_V3)
+ vgic_model = 0;



+ hyp_vm->kvm.arch.vgic.vgic_model = vgic_model;

0 is not a valid KVM_DEV_TYPE_*, so this looks good to me.

Reviewed-by: Suzuki K Poulose <suzuki.poulose@xxxxxxx>