In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
perf: Avoid undefined behavior from stopping/starting inactive events
Calling pmu->start()/stop() on perf events in PERF_EVENT_STATE_OFF can
leave event->hw.idx at -1. When PMU drivers later attempt to use this
negative index as a shift exponent in bitwise operations, it leads to UBSAN
shift-out-of-bounds reports.
The issue is a logical flaw in how event groups handle throttling when some
members are intentionally disabled. Based on the analysis and the
reproducer provided by Mark Rutland (this issue on both arm64 and x86-64).
The scenario unfolds as follows:
1. A group leader event is configured with a very aggressive sampling
period (e.g., sample_period = 1). This causes frequent interrupts and
triggers the throttling mechanism.
2. A child event in the same group is created in a disabled state
(.disabled = 1). This event remains in PERF_EVENT_STATE_OFF.
Since it hasn't been scheduled onto the PMU, its event->hw.idx remains
initialized at -1.
3. When throttling occurs, perf_event_throttle_group() and later
perf_event_unthrottle_group() iterate through all siblings, including
the disabled child event.
4. perf_event_throttle()/unthrottle() are called on this inactive child
event, which then call event->pmu->start()/stop().
5. The PMU driver receives the event with hw.idx == -1 and attempts to
use it as a shift exponent. e.g., in macros like PMCNTENSET(idx),
leading to the UBSAN report.
The throttling mechanism attempts to start/stop events that are not
actively scheduled on the hardware.
Move the state check into perf_event_throttle()/perf_event_unthrottle() so
that inactive events are skipped entirely. This ensures only active events
with a valid hw.idx are processed, preventing undefined behavior and
silencing UBSAN warnings. The corrected check ensures true before
proceeding with PMU operations.
The problem can be reproduced with the syzkaller reproducer:
perf: Avoid undefined behavior from stopping/starting inactive events
Calling pmu->start()/stop() on perf events in PERF_EVENT_STATE_OFF can
leave event->hw.idx at -1. When PMU drivers later attempt to use this
negative index as a shift exponent in bitwise operations, it leads to UBSAN
shift-out-of-bounds reports.
The issue is a logical flaw in how event groups handle throttling when some
members are intentionally disabled. Based on the analysis and the
reproducer provided by Mark Rutland (this issue on both arm64 and x86-64).
The scenario unfolds as follows:
1. A group leader event is configured with a very aggressive sampling
period (e.g., sample_period = 1). This causes frequent interrupts and
triggers the throttling mechanism.
2. A child event in the same group is created in a disabled state
(.disabled = 1). This event remains in PERF_EVENT_STATE_OFF.
Since it hasn't been scheduled onto the PMU, its event->hw.idx remains
initialized at -1.
3. When throttling occurs, perf_event_throttle_group() and later
perf_event_unthrottle_group() iterate through all siblings, including
the disabled child event.
4. perf_event_throttle()/unthrottle() are called on this inactive child
event, which then call event->pmu->start()/stop().
5. The PMU driver receives the event with hw.idx == -1 and attempts to
use it as a shift exponent. e.g., in macros like PMCNTENSET(idx),
leading to the UBSAN report.
The throttling mechanism attempts to start/stop events that are not
actively scheduled on the hardware.
Move the state check into perf_event_throttle()/perf_event_unthrottle() so
that inactive events are skipped entirely. This ensures only active events
with a valid hw.idx are processed, preventing undefined behavior and
silencing UBSAN warnings. The corrected check ensures true before
proceeding with PMU operations.
The problem can be reproduced with the syzkaller reproducer:
Metrics
Affected Vendors & Products
No data.
No data.
No data.
No data.
Fixes
Solution
No solution given by the vendor.
Workaround
No workaround given by the vendor.
References
History
Tue, 16 Sep 2025 13:15:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf: Avoid undefined behavior from stopping/starting inactive events Calling pmu->start()/stop() on perf events in PERF_EVENT_STATE_OFF can leave event->hw.idx at -1. When PMU drivers later attempt to use this negative index as a shift exponent in bitwise operations, it leads to UBSAN shift-out-of-bounds reports. The issue is a logical flaw in how event groups handle throttling when some members are intentionally disabled. Based on the analysis and the reproducer provided by Mark Rutland (this issue on both arm64 and x86-64). The scenario unfolds as follows: 1. A group leader event is configured with a very aggressive sampling period (e.g., sample_period = 1). This causes frequent interrupts and triggers the throttling mechanism. 2. A child event in the same group is created in a disabled state (.disabled = 1). This event remains in PERF_EVENT_STATE_OFF. Since it hasn't been scheduled onto the PMU, its event->hw.idx remains initialized at -1. 3. When throttling occurs, perf_event_throttle_group() and later perf_event_unthrottle_group() iterate through all siblings, including the disabled child event. 4. perf_event_throttle()/unthrottle() are called on this inactive child event, which then call event->pmu->start()/stop(). 5. The PMU driver receives the event with hw.idx == -1 and attempts to use it as a shift exponent. e.g., in macros like PMCNTENSET(idx), leading to the UBSAN report. The throttling mechanism attempts to start/stop events that are not actively scheduled on the hardware. Move the state check into perf_event_throttle()/perf_event_unthrottle() so that inactive events are skipped entirely. This ensures only active events with a valid hw.idx are processed, preventing undefined behavior and silencing UBSAN warnings. The corrected check ensures true before proceeding with PMU operations. The problem can be reproduced with the syzkaller reproducer: | |
| Title | perf: Avoid undefined behavior from stopping/starting inactive events | |
| References |
|
MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2025-09-16T13:00:20.805Z
Reserved: 2025-04-16T07:20:57.139Z
Link: CVE-2025-39821
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Received
Published: 2025-09-16T13:15:59.300
Modified: 2025-09-16T13:15:59.300
Link: CVE-2025-39821
Redhat
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
No data.