[PATCH v4 16/18] KVM: arm64: Reject host power-on of a vCPU that EL2 holds powered off
From: Fuad Tabba
Date: Thu Oct 01 2026 - 10:07:36 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.
Record a vCPU EL2 holds powered off as KVM_MP_STATE_UNINITIALIZED, an
encoding arm64 didn't use: the guest's CPU_OFF writes it, as does hyp
vCPU creation for a vCPU that starts STOPPED, and only the guest's
CPU_ON writes RUNNABLE over it. RUNNABLE and SUSPENDED from the VMM
return -EPERM on it, the VMM can't write the value itself, and
KVM_ARM_VCPU_INIT, which would write STOPPED or RUNNABLE over it, is
rejected once the vCPU has run.
The VMM can still pause and resume a vCPU EL2 has powered on. Neither
STOPPED nor kvm_prepare_system_event() overwrites the value: a vCPU at
it is already off, and a STOPPED in its place would turn the guest's
next CPU_ON into ALREADY_ON, after a SYSTEM_RESET exit the VMM runs on
from. kvm_arm_vcpu_stopped() covers it, so the run loop sleeps the
vCPU as before.
The guest's CPU_ON is gated on the value rather than on STOPPED. A
STOPPED written between the target's CPU_OFF exit and the host's
power-off of it, which kvm_prepare_system_event() can do from another
vCPU's SYSTEM_OFF or SYSTEM_RESET, 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 value, 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 | 1 +
arch/arm64/kvm/arm.c | 35 +++++++++++++++++++++++++------
arch/arm64/kvm/pkvm.c | 21 +++++++++++++++----
arch/arm64/kvm/psci.c | 11 ++++++++--
4 files changed, 56 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-)
diff --git a/arch/arm64/include/asm/kvm_host.h b/arch/arm64/include/asm/kvm_host.h
index 37d0721d39a45..e99b706c879cf 100644
--- a/arch/arm64/include/asm/kvm_host.h
+++ b/arch/arm64/include/asm/kvm_host.h
@@ -1564,6 +1564,7 @@ static inline void kvm_hyp_reserve(void) { }
void kvm_arm_vcpu_power_off(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu);
bool kvm_arm_vcpu_stopped(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu);
+bool kvm_pkvm_vcpu_is_powered_off(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu);
static inline u64 *__vm_id_reg(struct kvm_arch *ka, u32 reg)
{
diff --git a/arch/arm64/kvm/arm.c b/arch/arm64/kvm/arm.c
index 14fe4e7275796..a89087c83e27f 100644
--- a/arch/arm64/kvm/arm.c
+++ b/arch/arm64/kvm/arm.c
@@ -770,23 +770,28 @@ void kvm_arch_vcpu_put(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
vcpu->cpu = -1;
}
-static void __kvm_arm_vcpu_power_off(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
+static void __kvm_arm_vcpu_power_off(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu, u32 mp_state)
{
- WRITE_ONCE(vcpu->arch.mp_state.mp_state, KVM_MP_STATE_STOPPED);
+ WRITE_ONCE(vcpu->arch.mp_state.mp_state, mp_state);
kvm_make_request(KVM_REQ_SLEEP, 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)
{
+ u32 mp_state = vcpu_is_protected(vcpu) ? KVM_MP_STATE_UNINITIALIZED : KVM_MP_STATE_STOPPED;
+
spin_lock(&vcpu->arch.mp_state_lock);
- __kvm_arm_vcpu_power_off(vcpu);
+ __kvm_arm_vcpu_power_off(vcpu, mp_state);
spin_unlock(&vcpu->arch.mp_state_lock);
}
bool kvm_arm_vcpu_stopped(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
{
- return READ_ONCE(vcpu->arch.mp_state.mp_state) == KVM_MP_STATE_STOPPED;
+ u32 mp_state = READ_ONCE(vcpu->arch.mp_state.mp_state);
+
+ return mp_state == KVM_MP_STATE_STOPPED || mp_state == KVM_MP_STATE_UNINITIALIZED;
}
static void kvm_arm_vcpu_suspend(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
@@ -801,6 +806,12 @@ 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. */
+bool kvm_pkvm_vcpu_is_powered_off(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu)
+{
+ return READ_ONCE(vcpu->arch.mp_state.mp_state) == KVM_MP_STATE_UNINITIALIZED;
+}
+
int kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_get_mpstate(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu,
struct kvm_mp_state *mp_state)
{
@@ -818,12 +829,24 @@ 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);
+ /* Keep EL2's off record: STOPPED over it would let RUNNABLE through. */
+ if (!kvm_pkvm_vcpu_is_powered_off(vcpu))
+ __kvm_arm_vcpu_power_off(vcpu, KVM_MP_STATE_STOPPED);
break;
case KVM_MP_STATE_SUSPENDED:
+ if (kvm_pkvm_vcpu_is_powered_off(vcpu)) {
+ ret = -EPERM;
+ break;
+ }
+
kvm_arm_vcpu_suspend(vcpu);
break;
default:
@@ -1788,7 +1811,7 @@ static int kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_vcpu_init(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu,
spin_lock(&vcpu->arch.mp_state_lock);
if (power_off)
- __kvm_arm_vcpu_power_off(vcpu);
+ __kvm_arm_vcpu_power_off(vcpu, KVM_MP_STATE_STOPPED);
else
WRITE_ONCE(vcpu->arch.mp_state.mp_state, KVM_MP_STATE_RUNNABLE);
diff --git a/arch/arm64/kvm/pkvm.c b/arch/arm64/kvm/pkvm.c
index 8e4c6e4bec123..99a5d9a913129 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))
+ WRITE_ONCE(vcpu->arch.mp_state.mp_state, KVM_MP_STATE_UNINITIALIZED);
+ 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..b01f8d44033f1 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) && !kvm_pkvm_vcpu_is_powered_off(vcpu))) {
if (kvm_psci_version(source_vcpu) != KVM_ARM_PSCI_0_1)
ret = PSCI_RET_ALREADY_ON;
else
@@ -161,7 +166,9 @@ static void kvm_prepare_system_event(struct kvm_vcpu *vcpu, u32 type, u64 flags)
*/
kvm_for_each_vcpu(i, tmp, vcpu->kvm) {
spin_lock(&tmp->arch.mp_state_lock);
- WRITE_ONCE(tmp->arch.mp_state.mp_state, KVM_MP_STATE_STOPPED);
+ /* Keep EL2's off record for the guest's next CPU_ON. */
+ if (!kvm_pkvm_vcpu_is_powered_off(tmp))
+ WRITE_ONCE(tmp->arch.mp_state.mp_state, KVM_MP_STATE_STOPPED);
spin_unlock(&tmp->arch.mp_state_lock);
}
kvm_make_all_cpus_request(vcpu->kvm, KVM_REQ_SLEEP);
--
2.39.5