CVE-2026-89958

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

s390/vfio-ap: Fix dereference matrix_mdev->kvm without checking for NULL

The ap_driver structure has two fields which are function pointers to

callbacks:

* .on_config_changed: called at the start of the AP bus scan function to

notify the device driver that the host AP

configuration has changed and the associated AP

devices will be added or removed accordingly. This

gives the implementor a chance to evaluate the

configuration changes and respond to them before

the associated devices are added or removed.

* .on_scan_complete: Called at the end of the AP bus scan function to

notify the device driver that the host AP

configuration has changed and the AP devices have

been added or removed accordingly. This gives the

implementor the opportunity to respond to the

changes after the associated devices are added or

removed.

These two callbacks are implemented in the vfio_ap device driver via the

vfio_ap_on_cfg_changed and vfio_ap_on_scan_complete functions respectively.

Within the call stack of these two callback functions the

matrix_mdev->kvm->lock mutex is taken without checking whether

matrix_mdev->kvm is NULL or not. If matrix_mdev->kvm has never been set,

trying to take the lock will trigger a NULL pointer dereference. This patch

adds checks for matrix_mdev->kvm == NULL before taking the

matrix_mdev->kvm->lock mutex.

Note that the matrix_mdev->kvm->lock mutex taken in the

vfio_ap_mdev_hot_plug_config function is moved to the calling function

along with the matrix_dev->mdevs_lock which is needed there to access

the fields of the matrix_mdev. It makes little sense to make the change

the check for matrix_mdev->kvm there before taking the kvm->lock

mutex only to have to move it out via another patch, so it is done in

this patch.

It is important to make note of the following:

1. The matrix_dev->guests_lock is acquired at the start of both callback

functions. This ensures that matrix_mdev will not be removed via the

vfio_ap_mdev_remove function because it too takes matrix_dev_guests_lock

before removing the object; so, matrix_mdev will be available for the

duration of the callback functions.

2. The matrix_dev->mdevs_lock mutex must be taken in order to access

fields within the matrix_mdev structure

3. matrix_mdev->kvm->lock mutex must be taken before the

matrix_dev->mdevs_lock to prevent a lockdep splat.

4: The kvm->lock must be held while plugging the guest's AP configuration

into its SIE state description via the vfio_ap_mdev_update_guest_apcb

function.

5. The vfio_ap_mdev_update_guest_apcb checks matrix_mdev->kvm to verify it

is not NULL before doing the hot plug of the guest's AP configuration.