Unauthorized GPU memory access via omitted buffer fences
Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026
Race condition in Linux 6.8 and affected later branches allows local users to read or write GPU buffer memory during execution. xe_exec_ioctl() adds only the VM dma-resv KERNEL slot as a dependency and omits those slots for external buffer objects, allowing a user job to run while those buffers are moved or evicted. Reachability requires local access to an Xe DRM execution context with an external buffer mapped into its VM while kernel memory-management work remains in flight.
Summary
What happened
Race condition in Linux 6.8 and affected later branches allows local users to read or write GPU buffer memory during execution. xe_exec_ioctl() adds only the VM dma-resv KERNEL slot as a dependency and omits those slots for external buffer objects, allowing a user job to run while those buffers are moved or evicted. Reachability requires local access to an Xe DRM execution context with an external buffer mapped into its VM while kernel memory-management work remains in flight.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-74440
- Published
- Aug 15, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 15, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-362
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 15, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 15, 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=6.8
- Affected versionversion=dd08ebf6c3525a7ea2186e636df064ea47281987 <1738db550334adca0e7fcf0ef684198fb7462779
- Affected versionversion=dd08ebf6c3525a7ea2186e636df064ea47281987 <21976fe5258494ac38b63d103be81bf1180ae4ae
- Affected versionversion=dd08ebf6c3525a7ea2186e636df064ea47281987 <5d363d00bc9799b90a0dc89eb1c5dcb909c042ee
- Affected versionversion=dd08ebf6c3525a7ea2186e636df064ea47281987 <af80e2bfde9312c76b60cf9274248dce0410b30d
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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