Local privilege escalation via unchecked PGD alignment
Published Mar 2, 2026 · Updated Mar 2, 2026
Memory corruption in the pKVM kernel component of Google Android allows local users to escalate privileges without user interaction. The __pkvm_init_vm function accepts a host-provided PGD address without checking alignment, so an undersized allocation can yield a misaligned PGD and make guest stage-2 initialization operate after allocation failure. Exploitation requires local access to a device using protected KVM, and the published record bounds the consequence to privilege escalation.
Summary
What happened
Memory corruption in the pKVM kernel component of Google Android allows local users to escalate privileges without user interaction. The __pkvm_init_vm function accepts a host-provided PGD address without checking alignment, so an undersized allocation can yield a misaligned PGD and make guest stage-2 initialization operate after allocation failure. Exploitation requires local access to a device using protected KVM, and the published record bounds the consequence to privilege escalation.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-0029
- Published
- Mar 2, 2026
- Updated
- Mar 2, 2026
- Vendor
- Go standard library
- Product
- Android
- Classifications
- CWE-269, T1404
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 2, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Mar 2, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=Android kernel
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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