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

mm/madvise: skip device-private PMDs in cold and pageout walks

madvise_cold_or_pageout_pte_range() takes pmd_trans_huge_lock(), whose
pmd_is_huge() check returns true for a device-private PMD. The subsequent
!pmd_present() branch has a VM_BUG_ON() asserting migration is the only
allowed non-present case; a device-private PMD trips it.

Skip device-private PMDs in that non-present branch and continue to
huge_unlock before calling pmd_folio(). Downgrade the check to
VM_WARN_ON_ONCE() so an unexpected PMD softleaf logs a warning rather than
panicking. Drop the thp_migration_supported() guard: it expands to
IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_ARCH_SUPPORTS_PMD_SOFTLEAF), and both
pmd_is_migration_entry() and pmd_is_device_private_entry() already return
false when that config is not selected, so the guard suppresses only the
case where the warning would already be silent.

Potential trigger: an HMM-based GPU driver races with
madvise(MADV_COLD)/MADV_PAGEOUT: pmd_trans_huge(*pmd) reads true, then
migrate_vma_pages() flips the PMD to a device-private entry before the PMD
lock is acquired.
Published: 2026-09-24
Score: n/a
EPSS: n/a
KEV: No
Impact: n/a
Action: n/a
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History

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 15:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/madvise: skip device-private PMDs in cold and pageout walks madvise_cold_or_pageout_pte_range() takes pmd_trans_huge_lock(), whose pmd_is_huge() check returns true for a device-private PMD. The subsequent !pmd_present() branch has a VM_BUG_ON() asserting migration is the only allowed non-present case; a device-private PMD trips it. Skip device-private PMDs in that non-present branch and continue to huge_unlock before calling pmd_folio(). Downgrade the check to VM_WARN_ON_ONCE() so an unexpected PMD softleaf logs a warning rather than panicking. Drop the thp_migration_supported() guard: it expands to IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_ARCH_SUPPORTS_PMD_SOFTLEAF), and both pmd_is_migration_entry() and pmd_is_device_private_entry() already return false when that config is not selected, so the guard suppresses only the case where the warning would already be silent. Potential trigger: an HMM-based GPU driver races with madvise(MADV_COLD)/MADV_PAGEOUT: pmd_trans_huge(*pmd) reads true, then migrate_vma_pages() flips the PMD to a device-private entry before the PMD lock is acquired.
Title mm/madvise: skip device-private PMDs in cold and pageout walks
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
References

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Linux Linux Kernel
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: Linux

Published:

Updated: 2026-09-24T15:10:40.487Z

Reserved: 2026-09-17T16:02:15.094Z

Link: CVE-2026-93217

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-09-24T16:17:16.790

Modified: 2026-09-24T16:17:16.790

Link: CVE-2026-93217

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

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Weaknesses

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