CVE-2026-68242

Received Received - Intake

NULL Dereference in Linux Kernel Intel Graphics Driver

Publication date: 2026-08-10

Last updated on: 2026-08-17

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/i915/gt: Fix NULL deref on sched_engine alloc failure Avoid using intel_context_put() before intel_context_init() in execlists_create_virtual() as the kref_put() inside would lead to NULL deref on the IOCTL path when sched_engine allocation fails. Discovered using AI-assisted static analysis confirmed by Intel Product Security. (cherry picked from commit 4f2a12f2d50e9f48227656e4dcbd6423506be31d)

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-08-10

Last Modified

2026-08-17

Generated

2026-08-30

AI Q&A

2026-08-10

EPSS Evaluated

2026-08-29

NVD

CVE-2026-68242

EUVD

EUVD-2026-55343

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
intel	linux_kernel	*

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This is a NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's i915 graphics driver. It occurs when the scheduler engine fails to allocate memory during virtual context creation. The issue arises from calling intel_context_put() before intel_context_init(), which can lead to a crash when handling IOCTL requests.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's i915 graphics driver and involves a NULL dereference during scheduler engine allocation failure. Detection requires kernel-level inspection rather than network scanning. Check kernel logs for i915-related errors or crashes, particularly during graphics driver initialization or IOCTL operations. Use commands like dmesg | grep i915 or journalctl -k | grep i915 to review kernel messages for NULL pointer dereference errors.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could cause system crashes or instability when running graphics-intensive applications on affected Intel-based Linux systems. Users might experience sudden freezes, application crashes, or kernel panics during normal operation.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability is a NULL dereference issue in the Linux kernel's i915 graphics driver, specifically related to memory management during GPU context initialization. It does not directly involve data exposure, access control, or privacy violations that would typically impact GDPR or HIPAA compliance. The issue could lead to system crashes but does not inherently violate these standards.

Mitigation Strategies

Update your Linux kernel to the latest patched version to resolve the NULL deref issue in the drm/i915/gt component. Check with your distribution vendor for kernel updates addressing CVE-2026-68242.

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