CVE-2026-43289

Kernel warning via ambiguous purgatory entry matching

Published May 8, 2026 · Updated May 8, 2026

Improper entrypoint validation in Linux Kernel kexec allows local users to trigger a kernel warning via a crafted purgatory object. Within kexec_load_purgatory(), the loader treats e_entry as belonging to every executable section whose overlapping sh_addr range contains it, so the match can occur more than once. Reachability requires local permission to invoke kexec_file_load with a crafted image, and the published impact is limited to availability with no reported data exposure or modification.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.12%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper entrypoint validation in Linux Kernel kexec allows local users to trigger a kernel warning via a crafted purgatory object. Within kexec_load_purgatory(), the loader treats e_entry as belonging to every executable section whose overlapping sh_addr range contains it, so the match can occur more than once. Reachability requires local permission to invoke kexec_file_load with a crafted image, and the published impact is limited to availability with no reported data exposure or modification.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-43289
Published
May 8, 2026
Updated
May 8, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 8, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 8, 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=013027918a4efa807409fcb356009c117e4d181a <f736032c638a33a243e9126e617788f763d648f9
  2. Affected versionversion=4947a0eb7d642b6048559857964966016ef3aa8b
  3. Affected versionversion=6.4
  4. Affected versionversion=8652d44f466ad5772e7d1756e9457046189b0dfc <36eb314184a0ae74dd42914b47d2b9fc43be8034
  5. Affected versionversion=8652d44f466ad5772e7d1756e9457046189b0dfc <480e1d5c64bb14441f79f2eb9421d5e26f91ea3d
  6. Affected versionversion=8652d44f466ad5772e7d1756e9457046189b0dfc <5226570bd252cea2e805a161cb0f75c204c3108a
  7. Affected versionversion=8652d44f466ad5772e7d1756e9457046189b0dfc <875355152b33436907c2a6d2ffad1431fa86c62b
  8. Affected versionversion=8652d44f466ad5772e7d1756e9457046189b0dfc <cfccd3b8c51bc57a8a6fcb2fd30453afae5bc0d2
  9. Affected versionversion=b16bf76b382810257e3fb6278663a9d131b70197
  10. Affected versionversion=cb1638618545182a01444b2b20a4ed6b9d2a8c8f
  11. Affected versionversion=d38e051ec6fd8650b139d9bc4b0b8b261953b263 <1737d37ae1d2814e6cf0a1af87af3d41f0812b95
  12. Affected versionversion=f368aed4827bd4276c0e3664fb2cb815a8d7caf3 <027797595a108726f4a0a45d225f603b0ffbd22b

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=013027918a4efa807409fcb356009c117e4d181a <f736032c638a33a243e9126e617788f763d648f9; version=4947a0eb7d642b6048559857964966016ef3aa8b; version=6.4; version=8652d44f466ad5772e7d1756e9457046189b0dfc <36eb314184a0ae74dd42914b47d2b9fc43be8034; version=8652d44f466ad5772e7d1756e9457046189b0dfc <480e1d5c64bb14441f79f2eb9421d5e26f91ea3d; version=8652d44f466ad5772e7d1756e9457046189b0dfc <5226570bd252cea2e805a161cb0f75c204c3108a; version=8652d44f466ad5772e7d1756e9457046189b0dfc <875355152b33436907c2a6d2ffad1431fa86c62b; version=8652d44f466ad5772e7d1756e9457046189b0dfc <cfccd3b8c51bc57a8a6fcb2fd30453afae5bc0d2; version=b16bf76b382810257e3fb6278663a9d131b70197; version=cb1638618545182a01444b2b20a4ed6b9d2a8c8f; version=d38e051ec6fd8650b139d9bc4b0b8b261953b263 <1737d37ae1d2814e6cf0a1af87af3d41f0812b95; version=f368aed4827bd4276c0e3664fb2cb815a8d7caf3 <027797595a108726f4a0a45d225f603b0ffbd22b

Published CVSS scores

5.5OracleCVSS: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.

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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

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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