perf/x86: Move event pointer setup earlier in x86_pmu_enable()

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Summary

CVECVE-2026-23435
StatePUBLISHED
AssignerLinux
Source PriorityCVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published2026-04-03 16:16:25 UTC
Updated2026-04-07 13:21:09 UTC
DescriptionIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf/x86: Move event pointer setup earlier in x86_pmu_enable() A production AMD EPYC system crashed with a NULL pointer dereference in the PMU NMI handler: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000198 RIP: x86_perf_event_update+0xc/0xa0 Call Trace: <NMI> amd_pmu_v2_handle_irq+0x1a6/0x390 perf_event_nmi_handler+0x24/0x40 The faulting instruction is `cmpq $0x0, 0x198(%rdi)` with RDI=0, corresponding to the `if (unlikely(!hwc->event_base))` check in x86_perf_event_update() where hwc = &event->hw and event is NULL. drgn inspection of the vmcore on CPU 106 showed a mismatch between cpuc->active_mask and cpuc->events[]: active_mask: 0x1e (bits 1, 2, 3, 4) events[1]: 0xff1100136cbd4f38 (valid) events[2]: 0x0 (NULL, but active_mask bit 2 set) events[3]: 0xff1100076fd2cf38 (valid) events[4]: 0xff1100079e990a90 (valid) The event that should occupy events[2] was found in event_list[2] with hw.idx=2 and hw.state=0x0, confirming x86_pmu_start() had run (which clears hw.state and sets active_mask) but events[2] was never populated. Another event (event_list[0]) had hw.state=0x7 (STOPPED|UPTODATE|ARCH), showing it was stopped when the PMU rescheduled events, confirming the throttle-then-reschedule sequence occurred. The root cause is commit 7e772a93eb61 ("perf/x86: Fix NULL event access and potential PEBS record loss") which moved the cpuc->events[idx] assignment out of x86_pmu_start() and into step 2 of x86_pmu_enable(), after the PERF_HES_ARCH check. This broke any path that calls pmu->start() without going through x86_pmu_enable() -- specifically the unthrottle path: perf_adjust_freq_unthr_events() -> perf_event_unthrottle_group() -> perf_event_unthrottle() -> event->pmu->start(event, 0) -> x86_pmu_start() // sets active_mask but not events[] The race sequence is: 1. A group of perf events overflows, triggering group throttle via perf_event_throttle_group(). All events are stopped: active_mask bits cleared, events[] preserved (x86_pmu_stop no longer clears events[] after commit 7e772a93eb61). 2. While still throttled (PERF_HES_STOPPED), x86_pmu_enable() runs due to other scheduling activity. Stopped events that need to move counters get PERF_HES_ARCH set and events[old_idx] cleared. In step 2 of x86_pmu_enable(), PERF_HES_ARCH causes these events to be skipped -- events[new_idx] is never set. 3. The timer tick unthrottles the group via pmu->start(). Since commit 7e772a93eb61 removed the events[] assignment from x86_pmu_start(), active_mask[new_idx] is set but events[new_idx] remains NULL. 4. A PMC overflow NMI fires. The handler iterates active counters, finds active_mask[2] set, reads events[2] which is NULL, and crashes dereferencing it. Move the cpuc->events[hwc->idx] assignment in x86_pmu_enable() to before the PERF_HES_ARCH check, so that events[] is populated even for events that are not immediately started. This ensures the unthrottle path via pmu->start() always finds a valid event pointer.

Risk And Classification

EPSS: 0.000170000 probability, percentile 0.039750000 (date 2026-04-07)

Vendor Declared Affected Products

SourceVendorProductVersionPlatforms
CNA Linux Linux affected 6b089028bff1f2ff9e0c62b8f1faca1a620e5d6e 886fa869153917d902784098922defa20c3a2fe5 git Not specified
CNA Linux Linux affected 7e772a93eb61cb6265bdd1c5bde17d0f2718b452 c1dd1e2b722d3f1f2e4977dad8d1be78fdfb30cb git Not specified
CNA Linux Linux affected 7e772a93eb61cb6265bdd1c5bde17d0f2718b452 8d5fae6011260de209aaf231120e8146b14bc8e0 git Not specified
CNA Linux Linux affected cf69b99805c263117305ac6dffbc85aaf9259d32 git Not specified
CNA Linux Linux affected 6.19 Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 6.19 semver Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 6.18.20 6.18.* semver Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 6.19.10 6.19.* semver Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 7.0-rc5 * original_commit_for_fix Not specified

References

ReferenceSourceLinkTags
git.kernel.org/stable/c/8d5fae6011260de209aaf231120e8146b14bc8e0 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 git.kernel.org
git.kernel.org/stable/c/886fa869153917d902784098922defa20c3a2fe5 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 git.kernel.org
git.kernel.org/stable/c/c1dd1e2b722d3f1f2e4977dad8d1be78fdfb30cb 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 git.kernel.org
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