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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-89966: Linux kernel · mm/hugetlb_cma: fix null nodemask dereference in hugetlb_cma_alloc_frozen_folio

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

0

Not known to be exploited.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 15:59 UTC

Severity
Medium

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS
0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 9% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 16 Sep 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq 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

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • 6.17.0-5.5 – 7.0.0-38.38
23 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • 6.17.0-1002.2 – 7.0.0-1014.14
15 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • 6.17.0-1003.3 – 7.0.0-1017.17
15 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • 7.0.0-1003.3 – 7.0.0-1016.16
9 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • 6.17.0-1002.2 – 7.0.0-1014.14
13 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gkepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • 7.0.0-1002.3 – 7.0.0-1008.9
6 affected builds
Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

A fix has been implemented to check for NULL nodemasks and safely handle memory allocation attempts respecting cpuset constraints, preventing NULL pointer dereferences. Users should apply the official kernel updates that include this fix. Since this is a kernel-level vulnerability, upgrading to patched kernel versions is the recommended remediation. Patch status is not explicitly stated in the input data; therefore, users should consult their Linux distribution vendor advisories for the availability of official fixes.

Description

A null pointer dereference vulnerability in the Linux kernel's hugetlb_cma allocation code (CVE-2026-89966) allows an unprivileged user to cause a kernel panic by requesting a gigantic hugepage allocation with a specific memory policy on systems with CMA configured on a subset of NUMA nodes. The flaw arises from improper handling of a NULL nodemask pointer during hugepage allocation, leading to a kernel crash.

References

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