[PATCH v2 5/8] KVM: nSVM: Use emulator bytes for synthesized nested #NPF/#PF

From: Tina Zhang

Date: Tue Jul 14 2026 - 01:11:39 EST


SVM DecodeAssists records up to 15 instruction bytes from L2 CS:RIP
for data-access #NPF and intercepted #PF exits. For nested VM-Exits
reflected directly from hardware, KVM can copy the fresh VMCB02
DecodeAssist bytes into VMCB12. KVM-synthesized #NPF/#PF exits,
however, do not have fresh hardware DecodeAssist bytes in VMCB02.

When KVM synthesizes a nested #NPF/#PF from emulator context and the
emulator fetch cache still matches L2 RIP, populate a synthesized
instruction-byte buffer from those already-fetched bytes and copy them
into VMCB12 when constructing the nested VM-Exit for L1.

Consume the synthesized buffer exactly once and clear it before each
nested run, so stale emulator bytes cannot leak into unrelated nested
VM-Exits.

Signed-off-by: Tina Zhang <zhang_wei@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
arch/x86/kvm/svm/nested.c | 56 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++--
arch/x86/kvm/svm/svm.h | 15 ++++++++++-
2 files changed, 68 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/arch/x86/kvm/svm/nested.c b/arch/x86/kvm/svm/nested.c
index 9e12eab7eed9..8cee9aeaf4f2 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kvm/svm/nested.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kvm/svm/nested.c
@@ -69,26 +69,72 @@ static bool nested_svm_vmexit_supports_insn_bytes(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu,
return !(vmcb12->control.exit_info_1 & PFERR_FETCH_MASK);
}

+static void nested_svm_clear_synthesized_insn_bytes(struct vcpu_svm *svm)
+{
+ svm->nested.synthesized_insn_bytes.prepared = false;
+ svm->nested.synthesized_insn_bytes.insn_len = 0;
+}
+
+static void nested_svm_prepare_synthesized_insn_bytes(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
+{
+ struct vcpu_svm *svm = to_svm(vcpu);
+ struct nested_svm_insn_bytes *insn_bytes =
+ &svm->nested.synthesized_insn_bytes;
+ const u8 max_bytes = sizeof(insn_bytes->insn_bytes);
+ struct x86_emulate_ctxt *ctxt = vcpu->arch.emulate_ctxt;
+
+ nested_svm_clear_synthesized_insn_bytes(svm);
+
+ if (!guest_cpu_cap_has(vcpu, X86_FEATURE_DECODEASSISTS))
+ return;
+
+ if (!ctxt || ctxt->eip != kvm_rip_read(vcpu) ||
+ ctxt->fetch.end < ctxt->fetch.data ||
+ ctxt->fetch.end > ctxt->fetch.data + max_bytes)
+ return;
+
+ insn_bytes->insn_len = ctxt->fetch.end - ctxt->fetch.data;
+ memcpy(insn_bytes->insn_bytes, ctxt->fetch.data,
+ insn_bytes->insn_len);
+ insn_bytes->prepared = true;
+}
+
/*
* Rebuild VMCB12's DecodeAssist bytes for the nested VM-Exit. Use fresh
- * hardware VMCB02 state when available; otherwise report a zero byte count.
+ * hardware VMCB02 state when available; otherwise use synthesized bytes from
+ * the emulator fetch cache for KVM-generated #NPF/#PF exits.
*/
static void nested_svm_update_vmcb12_insn_bytes(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu,
struct vmcb *vmcb12,
struct vmcb *vmcb02)
{
struct vcpu_svm *svm = to_svm(vcpu);
+ struct nested_svm_insn_bytes *insn_bytes =
+ &svm->nested.synthesized_insn_bytes;
+ const u8 max_bytes = sizeof(vmcb12->control.insn_bytes);
bool vmcb02_insn_bytes_fresh = svm->nested.vmcb02_insn_bytes_fresh;
+ bool synthesized_prepared = insn_bytes->prepared;
+ u8 synthesized_len = insn_bytes->insn_len;

svm->nested.vmcb02_insn_bytes_fresh = false;
+ insn_bytes->prepared = false;

nested_svm_clear_insn_bytes(vmcb12);

if (!nested_svm_vmexit_supports_insn_bytes(vcpu, vmcb12))
return;

- if (vmcb02_insn_bytes_fresh)
+ if (vmcb02_insn_bytes_fresh) {
nested_svm_copy_insn_bytes(vmcb12, vmcb02);
+ return;
+ }
+
+ if (synthesized_prepared) {
+ vmcb12->control.insn_len = min(synthesized_len, max_bytes);
+ memcpy(vmcb12->control.insn_bytes, insn_bytes->insn_bytes,
+ vmcb12->control.insn_len);
+ return;
+ }
}

static void nested_svm_inject_npf_exit(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu,
@@ -112,6 +158,8 @@ static void nested_svm_inject_npf_exit(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu,
vmcb->control.exit_info_1 |= fault->error_code;

svm->nested.vmcb02_insn_bytes_fresh = from_hardware;
+ if (!from_hardware && !(fault->error_code & PFERR_FETCH_MASK))
+ nested_svm_prepare_synthesized_insn_bytes(vcpu);
nested_svm_vmexit(svm);
}

@@ -902,6 +950,7 @@ static void nested_vmcb02_prepare_control(struct vcpu_svm *svm)
*/
nested_svm_clear_insn_bytes(vmcb02);
svm->nested.vmcb02_insn_bytes_fresh = false;
+ nested_svm_clear_synthesized_insn_bytes(svm);

if (guest_cpu_cap_has(vcpu, X86_FEATURE_VGIF) &&
(vmcb12_ctrl->int_ctl & V_GIF_ENABLE_MASK))
@@ -1709,6 +1758,9 @@ static void nested_svm_inject_exception_vmexit(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
vmcb->control.exit_info_2 = ex->payload;
else
vmcb->control.exit_info_2 = vcpu->arch.cr2;
+
+ if (!ex->has_error_code || !(ex->error_code & PFERR_FETCH_MASK))
+ nested_svm_prepare_synthesized_insn_bytes(vcpu);
} else if (ex->vector == DB_VECTOR) {
/* See kvm_check_and_inject_events(). */
kvm_deliver_exception_payload(vcpu, ex);
diff --git a/arch/x86/kvm/svm/svm.h b/arch/x86/kvm/svm/svm.h
index fa65f6a1a59b..ef7701ddaea0 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kvm/svm/svm.h
+++ b/arch/x86/kvm/svm/svm.h
@@ -205,6 +205,12 @@ struct vmcb_ctrl_area_cached {
};
};

+struct nested_svm_insn_bytes {
+ bool prepared;
+ u8 insn_len;
+ u8 insn_bytes[15];
+};
+
struct svm_nested_state {
struct kvm_vmcb_info vmcb02;
u64 hsave_msr;
@@ -242,9 +248,16 @@ struct svm_nested_state {
/*
* True if VMCB02's DecodeAssist instruction bytes belong to the hardware
* VM-Exit currently being reflected to L1. KVM-synthesized exits leave
- * it clear.
+ * it clear, in which case the #NPF/#PF instruction bytes are synthesized
+ * from the emulator fetch cache when possible.
*/
bool vmcb02_insn_bytes_fresh;
+
+ /*
+ * DecodeAssist instruction bytes for a KVM-synthesized nested #NPF/#PF.
+ * Populated from the emulator's fetch cache when possible.
+ */
+ struct nested_svm_insn_bytes synthesized_insn_bytes;
};

struct vcpu_sev_es_state {
--
2.43.7