Unspecified impact via repeated CPU-mask free
Published Oct 18, 2026 · Updated Oct 18, 2026
Double-free in Linux KVM SEV allows local users to cause unspecified impact through failed guest initialization and VM destruction. The __sev_guest_init() error path frees have_run_cpus without clearing its pointer, and sev_vm_destroy() subsequently frees the same mask again. Reachability requires access to host-side KVM SEV initialization and an initialization failure after mask allocation; the published record does not establish a specific security consequence.
Summary
What happened
Double-free in Linux KVM SEV allows local users to cause unspecified impact through failed guest initialization and VM destruction. The __sev_guest_init() error path frees have_run_cpus without clearing its pointer, and sev_vm_destroy() subsequently frees the same mask again. Reachability requires access to host-side KVM SEV initialization and an initialization failure after mask allocation; the published record does not establish a specific security consequence.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-98719
- Published
- Oct 18, 2026
- Updated
- Oct 18, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 18, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 18, 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.
- Affected versionversion=12c1f6e03f944e399bd2c88441dca5dc702b95a5 <8abbc76120a74bfba1851bd97528099d715e45c6
- Affected versionversion=6.18.55 <6.18.56
- Affected versionversion=6aef7cf800098749ff5d660222efaf6e01e98c09 <b1de3ebf59507e0edacaa5cfa2225bc1869e1b63
- Affected versionversion=7.2.9 <7.2.10
- Affected versionversion=7.3-rc5
- Affected versionversion=9784e5ca91b37b387f3f414af4340c54f7a63566 <0fbc7fec2242de6c3dcea6de55573c428e820173
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
No sourced classifications are available.
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
Get started to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Get started