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CVE-2026-97876: CWE-822 Untrusted pointer dereference in GNU grub2

0
Medium
Published: 10/02/2026 (10/02/2026, 10:34:23 UTC)
Source: GCVE Database
Vendor/Project: GNU
Product: 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

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
High
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected software

debian/grub2
pkg:deb/debian/grub2
Affected versions
=2.12

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AI-Powered Analysis

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AILast updated: 10/02/2026, 18:00:33 UTC

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.

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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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