Linux Kernel Arm64 Page Attribute Return Value Propagation Vulnerability

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's arm64 page attribute handling has been addressed. The issue arises from the rodata=on security measure, which requires that any code path using vmalloc followed by set_memory_ro or set_memory_rox also protects the linear map alias. If a call fails, the current implementation suppresses the error, potentially leading to issues, especially after a recent commit that changed how large block mapping is handled. The vulnerability has been fixed by propagating the error to the caller, allowing for appropriate action to be taken.

Impact

The vulnerability could lead to improper error handling, allowing potential issues to go unaddressed, particularly in memory management where page attributes are modified.