CVE-2023-53663
- Published: 2025-10-07T16:15:50.043
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
KVM: nSVM: Check instead of asserting on nested TSC scaling support
Check for nested TSC scaling support on nested SVM VMRUN instead of
asserting that TSC scaling is exposed to L1 if L1’s MSR_AMD64_TSC_RATIO
has diverged from KVM’s default. Userspace can trigger the WARN at will
by writing the MSR and then updating guest CPUID to hide the feature
(modifying guest CPUID is allowed anytime before KVM_RUN). E.g. hacking
KVM’s state_test selftest to do
vcpu_set_msr(vcpu, MSR_AMD64_TSC_RATIO, 0);
vcpu_clear_cpuid_feature(vcpu, X86_FEATURE_TSCRATEMSR);
after restoring state in a new VM+vCPU yields an endless supply of:
————[ cut here ]————
WARNING: CPU: 164 PID: 62565 at arch/x86/kvm/svm/nested.c:699
nested_vmcb02_prepare_control+0x3d6/0x3f0 [kvm_amd]
Call Trace:
enter_svm_guest_mode+0x114/0x560 [kvm_amd]
nested_svm_vmrun+0x260/0x330 [kvm_amd]
vmrun_interception+0x29/0x30 [kvm_amd]
svm_invoke_exit_handler+0x35/0x100 [kvm_amd]
svm_handle_exit+0xe7/0x180 [kvm_amd]
kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_run+0x1eab/0x2570 [kvm]
kvm_vcpu_ioctl+0x4c9/0x5b0 [kvm]
__se_sys_ioctl+0x7a/0xc0
__x64_sys_ioctl+0x21/0x30
do_syscall_64+0x41/0x90
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd
RIP: 0033:0x45ca1b
Note, the nested #VMEXIT path has the same flaw, but needs a different
fix and will be handled separately.
Related CVE by CWE
No related CWE found.
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How to fix CVE-2023-53663
Description: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: nSVM: Check instead of asserting on nested TSC scaling support Check for nested TSC scaling support on nested SVM VMRUN instead of asserting that TSC scaling is exposed to L1 if L1’s MSR_AMD64_TSC_RATIO has diverged from KVM’s default. Userspace can trigger the WARN at […]
Exploit Difficulty: HARD
⏱️ Time to exploit: > 4 hours
🛠️ Required skills: Advanced security expertise
💰 Public exploits: Rare or not public
How to Fix:
- Check if you're running the affected product
- Update to the latest patched version
- If patching is not immediately possible: restrict network exposure, apply least-privilege access
- Test the fix in a staging environment first
- Review logs for signs of exploitation
- Monitor for IOCs (Indicators of Compromise)
- Enable automatic security updates
- Set up vulnerability monitoring
- Review and harden security configurations
Exploit Difficulty Assessment
Vulnerability Timeline
CVE details first published to NVD database
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Detection Rules & IOCs
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No vendor/product data available.