Local system crash via sparse queue indexing
Published Jul 25, 2026 · Updated Jul 25, 2026
NULL pointer dereference in the Linux Kernel virtio_pci component allows local users to crash the system by unbinding a virtio balloon device. The vp_find_vqs_msix() and vp_find_vqs_intx() paths store queue metadata by sparse caller index, but vp_del_vqs() retrieves it by a dense virtqueue index and dereferences a NULL entry. Reaching the flaw requires local permission to write the driver unbind interface and a virtio balloon configuration with absent optional features.
Summary
What happened
NULL pointer dereference in the Linux Kernel virtio_pci component allows local users to crash the system by unbinding a virtio balloon device. The vp_find_vqs_msix() and vp_find_vqs_intx() paths store queue metadata by sparse caller index, but vp_del_vqs() retrieves it by a dense virtqueue index and dereferences a NULL entry. Reaching the flaw requires local permission to write the driver unbind interface and a virtio balloon configuration with absent optional features.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-64457
- Published
- Jul 25, 2026
- Updated
- Jul 25, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux Kernel
- Classifications
- CWE-476, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 25, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 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.
- Affected versionversion=6.11
- Affected versionversion=89a1c435aec269d109ed46ca7bbb10fa8edf7ace <075bc3c779e1ea7294afabdcb7e0a49536959b28
- Affected versionversion=89a1c435aec269d109ed46ca7bbb10fa8edf7ace <41e6dc1a10036c9f47057033f19af7e52ec464b6
- Affected versionversion=89a1c435aec269d109ed46ca7bbb10fa8edf7ace <64a4c0befa77bcc01076aec9f93863ffd4ed06b7
- Affected versionversion=89a1c435aec269d109ed46ca7bbb10fa8edf7ace <f7d380fb525c13bdd114369a1979c80c346e6abc
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Virtio balloon driver unbind crash triggerproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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