[PATCH v3 16/18] KVM: arm64: Reject host power-on of a vCPU that EL2 holds powered off
From: Fuad Tabba
Date: Mon Sep 14 2026 - 07:49:09 EST
A protected vCPU's power state belongs to EL2, which changes it only
on the guest's own PSCI calls. KVM_SET_MP_STATE(RUNNABLE) on a vCPU
EL2 holds powered off changes the host's copy alone, and the guest's
next CPU_ON of that vCPU then fails: mp_state is no longer STOPPED, so
the host returns ALREADY_ON, and the guest's retry fails the same way
until the VMM stops the vCPU again. SUSPENDED has the same effect.
Track at the host whether EL2 holds a protected vCPU powered off and
return -EPERM for both writes in that state. STOPPED stays permitted,
so a VMM can pause a vCPU, and RUNNABLE on a vCPU EL2 has powered on,
so it can resume one.
The guest's CPU_ON is gated on the same record rather than on STOPPED.
A VMM that sets STOPPED between the target's CPU_OFF exit and the
host's power-off of it would otherwise let the CPU_ON through, and the
power-off would then record the target powered off while EL2 holds it
ON_PENDING, with no way back before VM teardown. Gated on the record,
that CPU_ON returns ALREADY_ON and the retry succeeds once the
power-off has run.
Signed-off-by: Fuad Tabba <fuad.tabba@xxxxxxxxx>
---
arch/arm64/include/asm/kvm_host.h | 2 ++
arch/arm64/kvm/arm.c | 19 +++++++++++++++++++
arch/arm64/kvm/pkvm.c | 21 +++++++++++++++++----
arch/arm64/kvm/psci.c | 10 +++++++++-
4 files changed, 47 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
diff --git a/arch/arm64/include/asm/kvm_host.h b/arch/arm64/include/asm/kvm_host.h
index 37d0721d39a45..2e2c051dd8e62 100644
--- a/arch/arm64/include/asm/kvm_host.h
+++ b/arch/arm64/include/asm/kvm_host.h
@@ -922,6 +922,8 @@ struct kvm_vcpu_arch {
/* vcpu power state */
struct kvm_mp_state mp_state;
spinlock_t mp_state_lock;
+ /* EL2 holds the protected vCPU powered off. Under mp_state_lock. */
+ bool pkvm_powered_off;
/* Cache some mmu pages needed inside spinlock regions */
struct kvm_mmu_memory_cache mmu_page_cache;
diff --git a/arch/arm64/kvm/arm.c b/arch/arm64/kvm/arm.c
index 0362f5f235e02..3892223252643 100644
--- a/arch/arm64/kvm/arm.c
+++ b/arch/arm64/kvm/arm.c
@@ -777,9 +777,12 @@ static void __kvm_arm_vcpu_power_off(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
kvm_vcpu_kick(vcpu);
}
+/* The guest's own CPU_OFF: EL2 has already powered the vCPU off. */
void kvm_arm_vcpu_power_off(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
{
spin_lock(&vcpu->arch.mp_state_lock);
+ if (vcpu_is_protected(vcpu))
+ vcpu->arch.pkvm_powered_off = true;
__kvm_arm_vcpu_power_off(vcpu);
spin_unlock(&vcpu->arch.mp_state_lock);
}
@@ -801,6 +804,12 @@ static bool kvm_arm_vcpu_suspended(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
return READ_ONCE(vcpu->arch.mp_state.mp_state) == KVM_MP_STATE_SUSPENDED;
}
+/* Only the guest's CPU_ON may start a vCPU EL2 holds powered off. */
+static bool kvm_pkvm_vcpu_is_powered_off(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
+{
+ return vcpu_is_protected(vcpu) && vcpu->arch.pkvm_powered_off;
+}
+
int kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_get_mpstate(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu,
struct kvm_mp_state *mp_state)
{
@@ -818,12 +827,22 @@ int kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_set_mpstate(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu,
switch (mp_state->mp_state) {
case KVM_MP_STATE_RUNNABLE:
+ if (kvm_pkvm_vcpu_is_powered_off(vcpu)) {
+ ret = -EPERM;
+ break;
+ }
+
WRITE_ONCE(vcpu->arch.mp_state, *mp_state);
break;
case KVM_MP_STATE_STOPPED:
__kvm_arm_vcpu_power_off(vcpu);
break;
case KVM_MP_STATE_SUSPENDED:
+ if (kvm_pkvm_vcpu_is_powered_off(vcpu)) {
+ ret = -EPERM;
+ break;
+ }
+
kvm_arm_vcpu_suspend(vcpu);
break;
default:
diff --git a/arch/arm64/kvm/pkvm.c b/arch/arm64/kvm/pkvm.c
index 8e4c6e4bec123..388c89f637b85 100644
--- a/arch/arm64/kvm/pkvm.c
+++ b/arch/arm64/kvm/pkvm.c
@@ -118,12 +118,25 @@ static int __pkvm_create_hyp_vcpu(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
return -ENOMEM;
ret = kvm_call_hyp_nvhe(__pkvm_init_vcpu, handle, vcpu, hyp_vcpu);
- if (!ret)
- vcpu_set_flag(vcpu, VCPU_PKVM_FINALIZED);
- else
+ if (ret) {
free_pages_exact(hyp_vcpu, hyp_vcpu_sz);
+ return ret;
+ }
- return ret;
+ /*
+ * Mirror EL2's seeding of power_state from mp_state. The hyp vCPU is
+ * published, so take mp_state_lock against kvm_psci_vcpu_on().
+ */
+ if (vcpu_is_protected(vcpu)) {
+ spin_lock(&vcpu->arch.mp_state_lock);
+ if (kvm_arm_vcpu_stopped(vcpu))
+ vcpu->arch.pkvm_powered_off = true;
+ spin_unlock(&vcpu->arch.mp_state_lock);
+ }
+
+ vcpu_set_flag(vcpu, VCPU_PKVM_FINALIZED);
+
+ return 0;
}
/*
diff --git a/arch/arm64/kvm/psci.c b/arch/arm64/kvm/psci.c
index e3db84400d1f8..3796fcfd701e9 100644
--- a/arch/arm64/kvm/psci.c
+++ b/arch/arm64/kvm/psci.c
@@ -63,7 +63,12 @@ static unsigned long kvm_psci_vcpu_on(struct kvm_vcpu *source_vcpu)
return PSCI_RET_INVALID_PARAMS;
spin_lock(&vcpu->arch.mp_state_lock);
- if (!kvm_arm_vcpu_stopped(vcpu)) {
+ /*
+ * A protected vCPU is off once the host has acted on EL2's CPU_OFF.
+ * STOPPED before that is the VMM's pause.
+ */
+ if (!kvm_arm_vcpu_stopped(vcpu) ||
+ (vcpu_is_protected(vcpu) && !vcpu->arch.pkvm_powered_off)) {
if (kvm_psci_version(source_vcpu) != KVM_ARM_PSCI_0_1)
ret = PSCI_RET_ALREADY_ON;
else
@@ -94,6 +99,9 @@ static unsigned long kvm_psci_vcpu_on(struct kvm_vcpu *source_vcpu)
*/
smp_wmb();
+ /* EL2 has committed the protected vCPU to ON_PENDING to get here. */
+ vcpu->arch.pkvm_powered_off = false;
+
WRITE_ONCE(vcpu->arch.mp_state.mp_state, KVM_MP_STATE_RUNNABLE);
kvm_vcpu_wake_up(vcpu);
--
2.39.5