CVE-2026-68176

System crash via unchecked mmiotrace device pointer

Published Aug 10, 2026 · Updated Aug 10, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel mmiotrace allows local users to crash affected systems through a trace-pipe read. When mmio_pipe_open() cannot resolve a PCI device, it leaves hiter->dev NULL, but the read path tests only hiter before dereferencing hiter->dev. The path exists only on x86 and x86_64 kernels built with CONFIG_MMIOTRACE, and activating the normally disabled tracer requires root privileges.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.21%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel mmiotrace allows local users to crash affected systems through a trace-pipe read. When mmio_pipe_open() cannot resolve a PCI device, it leaves hiter->dev NULL, but the read path tests only hiter before dereferencing hiter->dev. The path exists only on x86 and x86_64 kernels built with CONFIG_MMIOTRACE, and activating the normally disabled tracer requires root privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-68176
Published
Aug 10, 2026
Updated
Aug 10, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-476, T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 10, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 10, 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=2.6.27
  2. Affected versionversion=f984b51e0779a6dd30feedc41404013ca54e5d05 <144f29e85702234b23d2a62abf723e6a17eb5427
  3. Affected versionversion=f984b51e0779a6dd30feedc41404013ca54e5d05 <201a01102c529772168181190cb084471082cf5c
  4. Affected versionversion=f984b51e0779a6dd30feedc41404013ca54e5d05 <724cd84b0546c07806840fa658714488553d13a2
  5. Affected versionversion=f984b51e0779a6dd30feedc41404013ca54e5d05 <8464427e1c177809a9488a97dfa2807d9dcf323b
  6. Affected versionversion=f984b51e0779a6dd30feedc41404013ca54e5d05 <faaf95135184208ee3ac6f33175c8d1800669dfc

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=2.6.27; version=f984b51e0779a6dd30feedc41404013ca54e5d05 <144f29e85702234b23d2a62abf723e6a17eb5427; version=f984b51e0779a6dd30feedc41404013ca54e5d05 <201a01102c529772168181190cb084471082cf5c; version=f984b51e0779a6dd30feedc41404013ca54e5d05 <724cd84b0546c07806840fa658714488553d13a2; version=f984b51e0779a6dd30feedc41404013ca54e5d05 <8464427e1c177809a9488a97dfa2807d9dcf323b; version=f984b51e0779a6dd30feedc41404013ca54e5d05 <faaf95135184208ee3ac6f33175c8d1800669dfc

Published CVSS scores

4.4Amazon LinuxCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
5.5Red HatCVSS: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
Privilegesadmin
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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