CVE-2026-97525: Linux kernel · x86/mm/pat: Allocate split page tables as kernel page tables
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.2 High.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 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.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gkepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| 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 is available that changes the allocation of split page tables to use the standard kernel page table allocation routines, ensuring proper marking and invalidation. Users should apply the official kernel updates that include this fix. Since this is a kernel-level issue, upgrading to patched kernel versions is the recommended remediation.
Description
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's x86 memory management subsystem related to page table allocation has been resolved. The issue involves split page tables being allocated without using the standard kernel page table allocation routines, causing them not to be marked as kernel page tables. This leads to stale IOTLB cache entries because these split page tables are freed without proper invalidation. The fix ensures that split page tables are allocated via the ordinary PTE allocation API, invoking necessary constructors and destructors, and properly marking them as kernel page tables. This change also causes split page tables to appear in /proc/vmstat statistics, which is considered a positive side effect.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-97525 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97525 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/9e4a3ec3411bb6bb59e3c1f29b75609f1e87aac4 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/84e0cd79d57f06b872154eb5d8f610584133f260 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/922873cf4fc34124215070a8ad391bf831538bb9 (opens in a new tab)