VulnerabilityPublished 17 Sep 2026Updated 5 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-90364: Linux kernel · ACPI: processor: Unregister cpufreq notifier on init failure

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

Not known to be exploited.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:30 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 10% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 17 Sep 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.

microsoft-security-response-ce

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected 6.17.0-5.5 – 7.0.0-38.38 23 affected builds	Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-aws`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected 6.17.0-1002.2 – 7.0.0-1014.14 15 affected builds	Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected 6.17.0-1003.3 – 7.0.0-1017.17 15 affected builds	Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fde`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected 7.0.0-1003.3 – 7.0.0-1016.16 9 affected builds	Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcp`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected 6.17.0-1002.2 – 7.0.0-1014.14 13 affected builds	Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gke`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected 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 in the Linux kernel to unregister the cpufreq notifier on initialization failure. Users should update to the patched kernel versions provided by their Linux distribution vendors. Since this is a kernel-level fix, applying official kernel updates or patches from the vendor is the recommended remediation.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ACPI processor driver initialization was resolved. The issue involved the cpufreq policy notifier remaining registered if initialization failed, potentially causing inconsistent system states. This flaw was fixed by ensuring the cpufreq notifier is unregistered on initialization failure, mirroring the module exit path. The vulnerability affects specific Linux kernel versions used in various Ubuntu distributions.

Impact

The impact is a medium severity risk where the cpufreq notifier remains registered after initialization failure, which could lead to inconsistent kernel state or unexpected behavior related to CPU frequency scaling notifications. There is no indication of active exploitation in the wild or direct compromise from this flaw.

Summary

The vulnerability in the Linux kernel ACPI processor driver occurs because acpi_processor_driver_init() registers the cpufreq policy notifier before completing driver registration and CPU hotplug setup. If driver_register() or cpuhp_setup_state() fails, the error handling path fails to unregister the cpufreq notifier, leaving it registered despite initialization failure. The fix involves unregistering the cpufreq notifier on init failure to maintain consistent state and prevent potential issues arising from the notifier remaining active erroneously.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 24 Oct 2026, 22:42 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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