Host memory compromise via short IOMMU invalidation
Published May 1, 2026 · Updated May 1, 2026
IOMMU invalidation flaw in Linux Kernel 6.19 through 6.19.11 allows local users to retain device DMA access to unmapped host memory. The iommupt unmap path can remove an entire large or contiguous IOPTE when a request ends inside it, but the gather flushes only the requested range and leaves stale IOMMU translations. Exploitation requires local access to an iommufd/VFIO context backed by an IOMMU device domain; stale translations permit device DMA reads or writes after unmapping, exposing or corrupting host or tenant memory and potentially crashing or hanging the host.
Summary
What happened
IOMMU invalidation flaw in Linux Kernel 6.19 through 6.19.11 allows local users to retain device DMA access to unmapped host memory. The iommupt unmap path can remove an entire large or contiguous IOPTE when a request ends inside it, but the gather flushes only the requested range and leaves stale IOMMU translations. Exploitation requires local access to an iommufd/VFIO context backed by an IOMMU device domain; stale translations permit device DMA reads or writes after unmapping, exposing or corrupting host or tenant memory and potentially crashing or hanging the host.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-31735
- Published
- May 1, 2026
- Updated
- May 1, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux Kernel
- Classifications
- T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 1, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 1, 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.
- Affected versionversion=6.19
- Affected versionversion=7c53f4238aa8bfb476e177263133ead2eeb8d55d <50ecd96a28f712f8b682c0441f4cb9b086d28816
- Affected versionversion=7c53f4238aa8bfb476e177263133ead2eeb8d55d <ee6e69d032550687a3422504bfca3f834c7b5061
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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