CVE-2026-45968: Linux kernel · cpuidle: Skip governor when only one idle state is available
Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · fixed in e5c9ffc6ae1bcdb1062527d611043681ac301aca : update Linux kernel when convenient.
Data as of 6 Nov 2026, 16:34 UTC
Rated by Threat Radar · No CVSS score from NVD or the CNA
Thin evidence
One scorer or none- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation
- No evidence of active exploitation and no public proof of concept
- Automatable
- Attackers cannot reliably automate steps 1–4 of the kill chain
- Technical impact
- Limited control over the software or limited information exposure
CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-11-06.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in e5c9ffc6ae1bcdb1062527d611043681ac301aca, a0724e40a58a0e323c59707edeae5b71d15800dc, a0f7e804edc82e513d1ccb7c95ed8b351522ec81 +5
Exploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 27 May 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 6 Nov 2026.
What to do
Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cpuidle: Skip governor when only one idle state is available On certain platforms (PowerNV systems without a power-mgt DT node), cpuidle may register only a single idle state. In cases where that single state is a polling state (state 0), the ladder governor may incorrectly treat state 1 as the first usable state and pass an out-of-bounds index. This can lead to a NULL enter callback being invoked, ultimately resulting in a system crash. [ 13.342636] cpuidle-powernv : Only Snooze is available [ 13.351854] Faulting instruction address: 0x00000000 [ 13.376489] NIP [0000000000000000] 0x0 [ 13.378351] LR [c000000001e01974] cpuidle_enter_state+0x2c4/0x668 Fix this by adding a bail-out in cpuidle_select() that returns state 0 directly when state_count <= 1, bypassing the governor and keeping the tick running.
References
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/a0f7e804edc82e513d1ccb7c95ed8b351522ec81 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/5d103a38e2ae96eca57fd17161bcd29bd4622d1c (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/4da2b897283c39980d6ae09dc1560fcd937879e5 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/5c577ac939bca486cb02069505cfe47a5312ce02 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/8f6833d919bae915ead6c599a53e81e19b32da52 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/63ae78336f40bcd9a44952a7c6bafb9c88a8effd (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/a0724e40a58a0e323c59707edeae5b71d15800dc (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/e5c9ffc6ae1bcdb1062527d611043681ac301aca (opens in a new tab)