CVE-2026-23008Hinoki check available

Driver crash via absent framebuffer backing buffer

Published Jan 25, 2026 · Updated Jan 25, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in Linux Kernel 6.16 through 6.18.6 allows local users to crash the vmwgfx driver through 3D KMS use. The vmwgfx KMS framebuffer path assumes a guest-backed surface exists on hardware version 10, which lacks GB Surfaces, then dereferences the absent backing buffer. Local low-privileged access and VMware hardware version 10 are required; exploitation crashes the graphics driver and leaves the display black.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.14%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkAvailable
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Summary

What happened

NULL pointer dereference in Linux Kernel 6.16 through 6.18.6 allows local users to crash the vmwgfx driver through 3D KMS use. The vmwgfx KMS framebuffer path assumes a guest-backed surface exists on hardware version 10, which lacks GB Surfaces, then dereferences the absent backing buffer. Local low-privileged access and VMware hardware version 10 are required; exploitation crashes the graphics driver and leaves the display black.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-23008
Published
Jan 25, 2026
Updated
Jan 25, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
CWE-476, T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jan 25, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Jan 25, 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?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=6.16
  2. Affected versionversion=965544150d1cadf0e8f5bb6c13c19697e46e1429 <a91bdd21d5efb3072beefbec13762b7722200c49
  3. Affected versionversion=965544150d1cadf0e8f5bb6c13c19697e46e1429 <d9186faeae6efb7d0841a5e8eb213ff4c7966614

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=6.16; version=965544150d1cadf0e8f5bb6c13c19697e46e1429 <a91bdd21d5efb3072beefbec13762b7722200c49; version=965544150d1cadf0e8f5bb6c13c19697e46e1429 <d9186faeae6efb7d0841a5e8eb213ff4c7966614

Published CVSS scores

5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-476NULL Pointer Dereference
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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