CVE-2026-97876: CWE-822 Untrusted pointer dereference in GNU grub2
A local attacker with control over GRUB's configuration can bypass lockdown restrictions when booting with Secure Boot and load an unsigned GRUB module, while GRUB continues to report lockdown is enabled. The vulnerability is caused by insufficient validation of the MMIO base address passed to the GRUB serial command. GRUB does not validate that the base address corresponds to a UART device, rather than being an arbitrary memory address. This allows an attacker to trick GRUB into writing non-arbitrary data at an attacker-controlled address, including resetting the grub_file_verifiers list in a way that disables the subsequent verification of loaded modules.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability arises from GRUB's failure to validate that the MMIO base address used by the serial command corresponds to a legitimate UART device. An attacker controlling GRUB's configuration can exploit this by providing an arbitrary memory address, enabling writes to attacker-controlled memory. This can reset the grub_file_verifiers list, effectively disabling verification of loaded modules. Consequently, the attacker can load unsigned GRUB modules despite Secure Boot lockdown being enabled, bypassing intended security restrictions.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability allows a local attacker with high privileges (control over GRUB configuration) to bypass Secure Boot lockdown protections and load unsigned GRUB modules. This undermines the integrity of the boot process, potentially leading to execution of unauthorized code with high privileges. The CVSS score of 6.4 (medium severity) reflects the requirement for local privileged access and the complexity of exploitation.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is available, restrict local access to systems and ensure GRUB configuration integrity to prevent unauthorized modifications.
CVE-2026-97876: CWE-822 Untrusted pointer dereference in GNU grub2
Description
A local attacker with control over GRUB's configuration can bypass lockdown restrictions when booting with Secure Boot and load an unsigned GRUB module, while GRUB continues to report lockdown is enabled. The vulnerability is caused by insufficient validation of the MMIO base address passed to the GRUB serial command. GRUB does not validate that the base address corresponds to a UART device, rather than being an arbitrary memory address. This allows an attacker to trick GRUB into writing non-arbitrary data at an attacker-controlled address, including resetting the grub_file_verifiers list in a way that disables the subsequent verification of loaded modules.
CVSS v3.1
Score 6.4medium
Affected software
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Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability arises from GRUB's failure to validate that the MMIO base address used by the serial command corresponds to a legitimate UART device. An attacker controlling GRUB's configuration can exploit this by providing an arbitrary memory address, enabling writes to attacker-controlled memory. This can reset the grub_file_verifiers list, effectively disabling verification of loaded modules. Consequently, the attacker can load unsigned GRUB modules despite Secure Boot lockdown being enabled, bypassing intended security restrictions.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability allows a local attacker with high privileges (control over GRUB configuration) to bypass Secure Boot lockdown protections and load unsigned GRUB modules. This undermines the integrity of the boot process, potentially leading to execution of unauthorized code with high privileges. The CVSS score of 6.4 (medium severity) reflects the requirement for local privileged access and the complexity of exploitation.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is available, restrict local access to systems and ensure GRUB configuration integrity to prevent unauthorized modifications.
Technical Details
- Gcve Source
- db.gcve.eu
- Osv Id
- GHSA-v555-hf4g-q6pc
- Osv Schema Version
- 1.4.0
- Aliases
- ["CVE-2026-97876"]
- Database Specific Severity
- MODERATE
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6abfee98a43b0b3b89e55169
Added to database: 10/02/2026, 17:49:12 UTC
Last enriched: 10/02/2026, 18:00:33 UTC
Last updated: 10/03/2026, 02:45:57 UTC
Views: 2
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