CVE-2026-68428KVM: x86/mmu: Fix use-after-free on vendor module reload
- —Not scoredno CVSS score yet
- 0.17%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 94% of all CVEs
- NoKnown exploitednot in CISA's KEV catalog
- NonePublic exploitsnone known yet
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: x86/mmu: Fix use-after-free on vendor module reload mmu_destroy_caches() destroys pte_list_desc_cache and mmu_page_header_cache, but leaves both pointers unchanged. The pointers live in kvm.ko, and therefore survive when a vendor module is unloaded while kvm.ko remains loaded. If creation of pte_list_desc_cache fails during a subsequent vendor module load, its assignment sets pte_list_desc_cache to NULL and the error path calls mmu_destroy_caches(). mmu_page_header_cache still points to the cache destroyed during the preceding vendor module unload. Passing that stale pointer to kmem_cache_destroy() causes a slab use-after-free. Reproduce the issue on a v7.1.3 kernel with CONFIG_KASAN=y, CONFIG_KASAN_GENERIC=y, CONFIG_KVM=m, and CONFIG_KVM_INTEL=m. A one-shot test hook forces pte_list_desc_cache to NULL on the second invocation of kvm_mmu_vendor_module_init(): 1. Load kvm.ko and kvm-intel.ko, creating both caches. 2. Unload only kvm_intel, leaving kvm.ko loaded. 3. Reload kvm_intel and force initialization through the -ENOMEM path. KASAN reports: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in kvm_mmu_vendor_module_init+0x5b/0x170 [kvm] ... kmem_cache_destroy+0x21/0x1d0 kvm_mmu_vendor_module_init+0x5b/0x170 [kvm] ... Allocated by task 16817: __kmem_cache_create_args+0x12c/0x3b0 __kmem_cache_create.constprop.0+0xb6/0xf0 [kvm] kvm_mmu_vendor_module_init+0x13b/0x170 [kvm] ... Freed by task 16820: kmem_cache_destroy+0x117/0x1d0 kvm_mmu_vendor_module_exit+0x21/0x30 [kvm] Clear both pointers immediately after destroying their caches so that the stored state reflects the caches' lifetime and repeated cleanup is safe. With the fix applied, the same injected vendor module reload fails with -ENOMEM as expected and produces no KASAN report.
Timeline
ID reserved
By Linux
- 11 days later
· 11 days later
Published
- 3 months later
· 3 months later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
No CVSS score yet: neither the CNA, CISA nor NVD has scored this CVE. NVD status: Received.
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 0.17% · top 94% of all CVEs (12 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical impact: partial
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Not scored.
Affected products
- affected cb498ea2ce1d3f3c0bc0a2522241dca10263e437 – < 034b7fa1f5846d69eb51f12ce6d1c71871e83c2d
- affected cb498ea2ce1d3f3c0bc0a2522241dca10263e437 – < 42272b0f239f3a89f9c26a01cc37aee06138b1b7
- affected cb498ea2ce1d3f3c0bc0a2522241dca10263e437 – < 940950d5cd86f250dca578279ad5ca63b4e0986b
- affected cb498ea2ce1d3f3c0bc0a2522241dca10263e437 – < 6f4be73880302d5642c83a0813fdfe1f5fd4b6e3
- affected cb498ea2ce1d3f3c0bc0a2522241dca10263e437 – < 32b9f89ed9e6d7a45075d64089c254a7f6e13695
- affected cb498ea2ce1d3f3c0bc0a2522241dca10263e437 – < ec9daa8fd1b6f45545c9839dca55bd867fad9e13
- affected cb498ea2ce1d3f3c0bc0a2522241dca10263e437 – < 43cfb20d62ffe49626d62beecfc32eb6f262191c
- affected cb498ea2ce1d3f3c0bc0a2522241dca10263e437 – < 52f2f7c30126037975389aa04d24c506a5177c35
- affected 2.6.25
- unaffected < 2.6.25
- unaffected 5.10.265 – ≤ 5.10.*
- unaffected 5.15.216 – ≤ 5.15.*
- unaffected 6.1.183 – ≤ 6.1.*
- unaffected 6.6.148 – ≤ 6.6.*
- unaffected 6.12.101 – ≤ 6.12.*
- unaffected 6.18.42 – ≤ 6.18.*
- unaffected 7.1.6 – ≤ 7.1.*
- unaffected 7.2 – ≤ *
References
References8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/034b7fa1f5846d69eb51f12ce6d1c71871e83c2d (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/42272b0f239f3a89f9c26a01cc37aee06138b1b7 (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/940950d5cd86f250dca578279ad5ca63b4e0986b (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6f4be73880302d5642c83a0813fdfe1f5fd4b6e3 (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/32b9f89ed9e6d7a45075d64089c254a7f6e13695 (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ec9daa8fd1b6f45545c9839dca55bd867fad9e13 (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/43cfb20d62ffe49626d62beecfc32eb6f262191c (opens in a new tab)
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/52f2f7c30126037975389aa04d24c506a5177c35 (opens in a new tab)
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2026-55614 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
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[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2026-68428)Record last updated .