CVE-2026-98508Hinoki check available

Kernel crash via unchecked fence allocation

Published Oct 18, 2026 · Updated Oct 18, 2026

NULL dereference in the Linux kernel's virtio GPU driver allows local users to crash the kernel through graphics submission. In drivers/gpu/drm/virtio/virtgpu_submit.c, virtio_gpu_init_submit() forwards an unchecked NULL result from virtio_gpu_fence_alloc() to virtio_gpu_fence_event_create(), which dereferences it. The path requires access to the virtio GPU graphics ioctl and an allocation failure under memory pressure; the documented consequence is a kernel fault, not privilege escalation.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.20%
Next 30 days · Oct 19, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkAvailable
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Summary

What happened

NULL dereference in the Linux kernel's virtio GPU driver allows local users to crash the kernel through graphics submission. In drivers/gpu/drm/virtio/virtgpu_submit.c, virtio_gpu_init_submit() forwards an unchecked NULL result from virtio_gpu_fence_alloc() to virtio_gpu_fence_event_create(), which dereferences it. The path requires access to the virtio GPU graphics ioctl and an allocation failure under memory pressure; the documented consequence is a kernel fault, not privilege escalation.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-98508
Published
Oct 18, 2026
Updated
Oct 18, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
Unavailable

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 18, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 18, 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=4037dcd70c3335600a2a95ec6229d70859bd37a1
  2. Affected versionversion=6.1.54 <6.2
  3. Affected versionversion=6.5.4 <6.6
  4. Affected versionversion=6.6
  5. Affected versionversion=70d1ace56db6c79d39dbe9c0d5244452b67e2fde <846b3c64fe3e77d9db20a7e3e62dbbb637c773e1
  6. Affected versionversion=70d1ace56db6c79d39dbe9c0d5244452b67e2fde <9571ab7493561afb4624d69572a7ebb67d76d10f
  7. Affected versionversion=70d1ace56db6c79d39dbe9c0d5244452b67e2fde <a8b83ed4a4b1d04c756f53e375e86d3881f66e72
  8. Affected versionversion=70d1ace56db6c79d39dbe9c0d5244452b67e2fde <ecced0076b700b5896e52af10d0776be8be36b0d
  9. Affected versionversion=70d1ace56db6c79d39dbe9c0d5244452b67e2fde <f2f1683955b95c9b958069da3050f7e8e129ff88
  10. Affected versionversion=98d3e7c5f757577394f036e0301db9e570342566

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesUnavailable in this record.

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=4037dcd70c3335600a2a95ec6229d70859bd37a1; version=6.1.54 <6.2; version=6.5.4 <6.6; version=6.6; version=70d1ace56db6c79d39dbe9c0d5244452b67e2fde <846b3c64fe3e77d9db20a7e3e62dbbb637c773e1; version=70d1ace56db6c79d39dbe9c0d5244452b67e2fde <9571ab7493561afb4624d69572a7ebb67d76d10f; version=70d1ace56db6c79d39dbe9c0d5244452b67e2fde <a8b83ed4a4b1d04c756f53e375e86d3881f66e72; version=70d1ace56db6c79d39dbe9c0d5244452b67e2fde <ecced0076b700b5896e52af10d0776be8be36b0d; version=70d1ace56db6c79d39dbe9c0d5244452b67e2fde <f2f1683955b95c9b958069da3050f7e8e129ff88; version=98d3e7c5f757577394f036e0301db9e570342566

Published CVSS scores

No CVSS assessment is available in this record.

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.

Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.

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No observations available

Sep 22, 2026Sep 28, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 28, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
PrivilegesUnavailable
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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