CVE-2026-98712

Received Received - Intake

Use-After-Free in Linux Kernel KVM ARM64 vgic

Publication date: 2026-10-18

Last updated on: 2026-10-19

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: arm64: vgic: Take a refcount on IRQs referenced by last_lr_irq Referencing the last interrupt inserted in an LR is rather fragile, as this interrupt can vanish if a concurrently unmapped LPI. Solve this by bumping up the refcount on the interrupt when populating last_lr_irq, and drop it at vgic_prune_ap_list() time, when LPIs are being reclaimed.

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Meta Information

Published

2026-10-18

Last Modified

2026-10-19

Generated

2026-11-08

AI Q&A

2026-10-18

EPSS Evaluated

2026-11-07

NVD

CVE-2026-98712

EUVD

EUVD-2026-103966

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
Linux	Linux	6da5e537f5afe091658e846da1949d7e557d2ade
Linux	Linux	6da5e537f5afe091658e846da1949d7e557d2ade
Linux	Linux	cd28ca4c27ed5929f61bbed8a967c20519facb88
Linux	Linux	6.19.9
Linux	Linux	7.0

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves a race condition in the KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) arm64 vgic (Virtual Generic Interrupt Controller) implementation. When an interrupt is referenced in the last_lr_irq structure, it can be removed if the corresponding LPI (List of Pending Interrupts) is unmapped concurrently. The fix ensures the interrupt's reference count is incremented when added to last_lr_irq and decremented when the LPI is reclaimed during vgic_prune_ap_list().

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's KVM implementation for arm64 systems and involves improper handling of interrupt references. Detection requires checking kernel logs for KVM-related errors or examining kernel code for the affected vgic component. No direct network detection commands are applicable.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could lead to a use-after-free scenario or memory corruption in the Linux kernel, potentially causing system crashes, privilege escalation, or denial of service. It primarily affects virtualization environments using KVM on arm64 systems with virtual interrupt controllers.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the Linux kernel to the latest stable version that includes the fix for CVE-2026-98712. Monitor vendor advisories for patches and apply them promptly.

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