CVE-2026-68180

Local service interruption via leaked device references

Published Aug 10, 2026 · Updated Aug 10, 2026

Reference-counting flaw in the Linux kernel Intel Trace Hub driver allows local users to exhaust resources by opening MSC outputs. The MSC release callback removes its per-file iterator but fails to drop the device reference acquired when the output is opened, so every successful open leaks one reference. Exploitation requires local access to Intel Trace Hub MSC device nodes; repeated opens can exhaust kernel resources and interrupt service.

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

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Reference-counting flaw in the Linux kernel Intel Trace Hub driver allows local users to exhaust resources by opening MSC outputs. The MSC release callback removes its per-file iterator but fails to drop the device reference acquired when the output is opened, so every successful open leaks one reference. Exploitation requires local access to Intel Trace Hub MSC device nodes; repeated opens can exhaust kernel resources and interrupt service.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-68180
Published
Aug 10, 2026
Updated
Aug 10, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-911, T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

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

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

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

  1. Affected versionversion=0fca16c5591534cc1fec8b6181277ee3a3d0f26c <26e27b8dcef1e4df6f30d8f25b3304a506d482b3
  2. Affected versionversion=5.10.249 <5.11
  3. Affected versionversion=5.15.199 <5.16
  4. Affected versionversion=6.1.162 <6.2
  5. Affected versionversion=6.12.68 <6.12.101
  6. Affected versionversion=6.18.8 <6.18.42
  7. Affected versionversion=6.19
  8. Affected versionversion=64015cbf06e8bb75b81ae95b997e847b55280f7f
  9. Affected versionversion=6.6.122 <6.6.148
  10. Affected versionversion=95fc36a234da24bbc5f476f8104a5a15f99ed3e3 <761b785a0cfbce43761227bc42a7f984f31f8921
  11. Affected versionversion=95fc36a234da24bbc5f476f8104a5a15f99ed3e3 <c3a28f9cb82425fe0835048ed3677f321e780691
  12. Affected versionversion=af4b9467296b9a16ebc008147238070236982b6d
  13. Affected versionversion=b71e64ef7ff9443835d1333e3e80ab1e49e5209f
  14. Affected versionversion=bf7785434b5d05d940d936b78925080950bd54dd <ddcf2064d7ec5a8c9afa7cb74442320e443502bc
  15. Affected versionversion=f9b059bda4276f2bb72cb98ec7875a747f042ea2 <caba30eb8bd321c465ecfc7d850ee85f5b353496

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=0fca16c5591534cc1fec8b6181277ee3a3d0f26c <26e27b8dcef1e4df6f30d8f25b3304a506d482b3; version=5.10.249 <5.11; version=5.15.199 <5.16; version=6.1.162 <6.2; version=6.12.68 <6.12.101; version=6.18.8 <6.18.42; version=6.19; version=64015cbf06e8bb75b81ae95b997e847b55280f7f; version=6.6.122 <6.6.148; version=95fc36a234da24bbc5f476f8104a5a15f99ed3e3 <761b785a0cfbce43761227bc42a7f984f31f8921; version=95fc36a234da24bbc5f476f8104a5a15f99ed3e3 <c3a28f9cb82425fe0835048ed3677f321e780691; version=af4b9467296b9a16ebc008147238070236982b6d; version=b71e64ef7ff9443835d1333e3e80ab1e49e5209f; version=bf7785434b5d05d940d936b78925080950bd54dd <ddcf2064d7ec5a8c9afa7cb74442320e443502bc; version=f9b059bda4276f2bb72cb98ec7875a747f042ea2 <caba30eb8bd321c465ecfc7d850ee85f5b353496

Published CVSS scores

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.

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

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-911Improper Update of Reference Count
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

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo