riscv: errata: select RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY for THEAD GHOSTWRITE
errata_probe_ghostwrite() only marks the CPU as vulnerable when it is
called at the RISCV_ALTERNATIVES_EARLY_BOOT stage, and the mitigation
in ghostwrite_enable_mitigation() only takes effect if the vulnerable
state was recorded before the boot alternatives are patched.
The early boot stage is only executed when CONFIG_RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY
is enabled, which currently is only selected by ERRATA_THEAD_MAE. In a
kernel built with ERRATA_THEAD_GHOSTWRITE=y but ERRATA_THEAD_MAE=n, the
early alternatives never run, so ghostwrite_state is never set to
VULNERABLE: ghostwrite_enable_mitigation() returns false, xtheadvector
remains enabled, and sysfs reports "Not affected" on a vulnerable
T-Head C9xx CPU.
Select RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY from ERRATA_THEAD_GHOSTWRITE so that the
vulnerability is detected in the early boot stage and the default
mitigation is applied.
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | unaffected |
|
||||||||||||||||||
| Linux | Linux | affected |
|
No data.
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No data.
No advisories yet.
Solution
No solution given by the vendor.
Workaround
No workaround given by the vendor.
Fri, 23 Oct 2026 15:45:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Weaknesses | CWE-200 CWE-704 |
Fri, 23 Oct 2026 12:45:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: riscv: errata: select RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY for THEAD GHOSTWRITE errata_probe_ghostwrite() only marks the CPU as vulnerable when it is called at the RISCV_ALTERNATIVES_EARLY_BOOT stage, and the mitigation in ghostwrite_enable_mitigation() only takes effect if the vulnerable state was recorded before the boot alternatives are patched. The early boot stage is only executed when CONFIG_RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY is enabled, which currently is only selected by ERRATA_THEAD_MAE. In a kernel built with ERRATA_THEAD_GHOSTWRITE=y but ERRATA_THEAD_MAE=n, the early alternatives never run, so ghostwrite_state is never set to VULNERABLE: ghostwrite_enable_mitigation() returns false, xtheadvector remains enabled, and sysfs reports "Not affected" on a vulnerable T-Head C9xx CPU. Select RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY from ERRATA_THEAD_GHOSTWRITE so that the vulnerability is detected in the early boot stage and the default mitigation is applied. | |
| Title | riscv: errata: select RISCV_ALTERNATIVE_EARLY for THEAD GHOSTWRITE | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
Projects
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MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-10-23T12:20:53.518Z
Reserved: 2026-09-25T10:25:14.386Z
Link: CVE-2026-99017
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Received
Published: 2026-10-23T13:17:24.530
Modified: 2026-10-23T13:17:24.530
Link: CVE-2026-99017
Redhat
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
Updated: 2026-10-23T15:30:14Z