CVE-2026-23435 perf/x86: Move event pointer setup earlier in x86_pmu_enable()
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

perf/x86: Move event pointer setup earlier in x86_pmu_enable()

A production AMD EPYC system crashed with a NULL pointer dereference
in the PMU NMI handler:

  BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000198
  RIP: x86_perf_event_update+0xc/0xa0
  Call Trace:
   <NMI>
   amd_pmu_v2_handle_irq+0x1a6/0x390
   perf_event_nmi_handler+0x24/0x40

The faulting instruction is `cmpq $0x0, 0x198(%rdi)` with RDI=0,
corresponding to the `if (unlikely(!hwc->event_base))` check in
x86_perf_event_update() where hwc = &event->hw and event is NULL.

drgn inspection of the vmcore on CPU 106 showed a mismatch between
cpuc->active_mask and cpuc->events[]:

  active_mask: 0x1e (bits 1, 2, 3, 4)
  events[1]:   0xff1100136cbd4f38  (valid)
  events[2]:   0x0                 (NULL, but active_mask bit 2 set)
  events[3]:   0xff1100076fd2cf38  (valid)
  events[4]:   0xff1100079e990a90  (valid)

The event that should occupy events[2] was found in event_list[2]
with hw.idx=2 and hw.state=0x0, confirming x86_pmu_start() had run
(which clears hw.state and sets active_mask) but events[2] was
never populated.

Another event (event_list[0]) had hw.state=0x7 (STOPPED|UPTODATE|ARCH),
showing it was stopped when the PMU rescheduled events, confirming the
throttle-then-reschedule sequence occurred.

The root cause is commit 7e772a93eb61 ("perf/x86: Fix NULL event access
and potential PEBS record loss") which moved the cpuc->events[idx]
assignment out of x86_pmu_start() and into step 2 of x86_pmu_enable(),
after the PERF_HES_ARCH check. This broke any path that calls
pmu->start() without going through x86_pmu_enable() -- specifically
the unthrottle path:

  perf_adjust_freq_unthr_events()
    -> perf_event_unthrottle_group()
      -> perf_event_unthrottle()
        -> event->pmu->start(event, 0)
          -> x86_pmu_start()     // sets active_mask but not events[]

The race sequence is:

  1. A group of perf events overflows, triggering group throttle via
     perf_event_throttle_group(). All events are stopped: active_mask
     bits cleared, events[] preserved (x86_pmu_stop no longer clears
     events[] after commit 7e772a93eb61).

  2. While still throttled (PERF_HES_STOPPED), x86_pmu_enable() runs
     due to other scheduling activity. Stopped events that need to
     move counters get PERF_HES_ARCH set and events[old_idx] cleared.
     In step 2 of x86_pmu_enable(), PERF_HES_ARCH causes these events
     to be skipped -- events[new_idx] is never set.

  3. The timer tick unthrottles the group via pmu->start(). Since
     commit 7e772a93eb61 removed the events[] assignment from
     x86_pmu_start(), active_mask[new_idx] is set but events[new_idx]
     remains NULL.

  4. A PMC overflow NMI fires. The handler iterates active counters,
     finds active_mask[2] set, reads events[2] which is NULL, and
     crashes dereferencing it.

Move the cpuc->events[hwc->idx] assignment in x86_pmu_enable() to
before the PERF_HES_ARCH check, so that events[] is populated even
for events that are not immediately started. This ensures the
unthrottle path via pmu->start() always finds a valid event pointer.
Affected products: vendor: Linux
product: Linux
default_status: unaffected
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
default_status: affected
Published: 2026-04-03T15:15:20.465Z