Safe-RET Interrupt Injection Mitigation in Linux Kernel

Publication date: 2026-08-06

Last updated on: 2026-08-06

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: x86/bugs: Make Safe-RET robust against interrupt injection An attacker injecting interrupts while the Safe-RET mitigation executes on machines affected by SRSO can neutralize the safe return sequence, potentially leading to data leakage through speculative execution. Fixup register state as if the Safe-RET sequence executed successfully by "emulating" it, in a manner of speaking, and avoid executing a RET instruction after returning from the interrupt.

CVSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-08-06

Last Modified

2026-08-06

Generated

2026-08-07

AI Q&A

2026-08-07

EPSS Evaluated

N/A

NVD

CVE-2026-68480

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
linux	linux_kernel	*

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability involves a flaw in the Linux kernel's Safe-RET mitigation for the SRSO (Speculative Return Stack Overflow) issue. An attacker can inject interrupts during the Safe-RET execution, disrupting the mitigation and potentially allowing data leakage through speculative execution attacks.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability could allow an attacker to bypass security measures and access sensitive data through speculative execution. Systems running affected Linux kernels may be at risk of information disclosure.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the Linux kernel patch that resolves the Safe-RET issue. Update your system to a kernel version that includes the fix for SRSO mitigation. Monitor vendor advisories for updates.

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