VulnerabilityPublished 8 Aug 2026Updated 21 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-68081: Linux kernel · KVM: nVMX: Put vmcs12 pages if nested VM-Enter fails due to invalid guest state

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in f42669f931a6f45e5918cf5e99989b9a6c65e655 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC

Severity

Unrated

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 4% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in f42669f931a6f45e5918cf5e99989b9a6c65e655, a7bf4f5b19965e4466040ad6b24919c1ed326a84, 7996013b85687034d2e820cef94d6404192e3a3d +2

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 8 Aug 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: 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 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 96c66e87deeeb3cc78a3b82a1de8e365eec206c1, < f42669f931a6f45e5918cf5e99989b9a6c65e655	Fixed in f42669f931a6f45e5918cf5e99989b9a6c65e655
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 96c66e87deeeb3cc78a3b82a1de8e365eec206c1, < a7bf4f5b19965e4466040ad6b24919c1ed326a84	Fixed in a7bf4f5b19965e4466040ad6b24919c1ed326a84
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 96c66e87deeeb3cc78a3b82a1de8e365eec206c1, < 7996013b85687034d2e820cef94d6404192e3a3d	Fixed in 7996013b85687034d2e820cef94d6404192e3a3d
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 96c66e87deeeb3cc78a3b82a1de8e365eec206c1, < 2f2312c422fd2695da772cecb30c69994b795964	Fixed in 2f2312c422fd2695da772cecb30c69994b795964
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 96c66e87deeeb3cc78a3b82a1de8e365eec206c1, < 2c87a087c20632d68920272173b5d7c47f9bcf70	Fixed in 2c87a087c20632d68920272173b5d7c47f9bcf70
LinuxLinux	Affected =5.2	Fixed in–

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: nVMX: Put vmcs12 pages if nested VM-Enter fails due to invalid guest state Put all vmcs12 pages if KVM synthesizes a nested VM-Exit due to invalid guest while emulating VMLAUNCH or VMRESUME. The invalid guest state path doesn't use nested_vmx_vmexit() as that API is intended to be used if and only if L2 is active, and the open coded equivalent neglects to put the vmcs12 pages. Failure to put the vmcs12 pages leaks any pinned pages (and/or mappings) if L1 retries VMLAUNCH/VMRESUME. Note, the !from_vmenter scenario doesn't suffer the same problem, as vmx_get_nested_state_pages() only gets/pins/maps the vmcs12 pages if L2 is active, i.e. if a "full" VM-Exit is guaranteed before KVM will retry getting vmcs12 pages.

References

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