CVE-2026-68178: Linux kernel · Use After Free
Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High · fixed in 1996639f824ce9468395cdb7bcb8f467fa787e77 : patch Linux kernel soon.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:18 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 5% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- 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
- Total control over the software or total information disclosure
CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-10-16.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 1996639f824ce9468395cdb7bcb8f467fa787e77, 9e9a82d00c3d10129fc310a7547b24a679d5d920, 3b231f1e9990f4c21220d0a69733ce2105891ff9 +1
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 10 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.
What to do
Upgrade Linux kernel to 1996639f824ce9468395cdb7bcb8f467fa787e77, 9e9a82d00c3d10129fc310a7547b24a679d5d920, 3b231f1e9990f4c21220d0a69733ce2105891ff9 or 1da310b94504d42001e9c32c43c5dc105b777e5f.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: misc: nsm: pin the module while the device is open misc_open() installs a misc driver's file operations with fops_get(), which pins file_operations::owner before replacing the file's f_op. The NSM misc device leaves nsm_dev_fops.owner unset, so opening /dev/nsm does not take a module reference on the nsm driver. If the driver is built as a module, an open file descriptor can therefore survive rmmod of the module that provides its ioctl callbacks. A later ioctl through that descriptor can call into unloaded module text. Set nsm_dev_fops.owner to THIS_MODULE so the misc core holds the module while any /dev/nsm file descriptor is open, matching the lifetime expectation for the installed file operations.
References
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/1996639f824ce9468395cdb7bcb8f467fa787e77 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/1da310b94504d42001e9c32c43c5dc105b777e5f (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/9e9a82d00c3d10129fc310a7547b24a679d5d920 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/3b231f1e9990f4c21220d0a69733ce2105891ff9 (opens in a new tab)