In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: vhost-vdpa: don't install the eventfd_ctx_fdget() error in config_ctx vhost_vdpa_set_config_call() swaps the eventfd_ctx_fdget() return value into v->config_ctx before…

Overview

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

vhost-vdpa: don't install the eventfd_ctx_fdget() error in config_ctx

vhost_vdpa_set_config_call() swaps the eventfd_ctx_fdget() return value into v->config_ctx before checking it, so on failure the field briefly holds an ERR_PTR:

ctx = fd == VHOST_FILE_UNBIND ? NULL : eventfd_ctx_fdget(fd);
swap(ctx, v->config_ctx);

if (!IS_ERR_OR_NULL(ctx))
	eventfd_ctx_put(ctx);

if (IS_ERR(v->config_ctx)) {
	long ret = PTR_ERR(v->config_ctx);

	v->config_ctx = NULL;
	return ret;
}

Commit 0bde59c1723a ("vhost-vdpa: set v->config_ctx to NULL if eventfd_ctx_fdget() fails") added that clearing, and spelled out the invariant the rest of the file relies on: "we consider 'v->config_ctx' valid if it is not NULL". The window between the swap and the clearing still breaks it. vhost_vdpa_config_cb() only tests for NULL, so a config interrupt delivered inside the window hands the ERR_PTR to eventfd_signal().

Check the fd before installing it instead. That closes the window and matches how vhost_vring_ioctl() handles the same failure for the vq call fd.

It also stops a rejected fd from tearing down a config interrupt that was working: until now the swap replaced the live context and put it, so after an EBADF the device silently stopped delivering config interrupts until userspace installed a new fd.

Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.

Vendor advisories

• Red Hat VEX · Low · affected: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · no fix planned: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · updated 2026-10-17 · vex