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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-97526: Linux kernel · s390/pai: Support CPU hotplug for PMU PAI

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

0
Authoritative record:CVE-2026-97526· High

Not known to be exploited.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC

Severity
High

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS
0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 8% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 25 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 is available that adds CPU hotplug support for the s390/pai PMU subsystem, ensuring proper allocation of per-CPU data structures during CPU hotplug events. 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. Patch status is not explicitly stated in the input data, so check the vendor advisory for the latest update and patch availability.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's s390/pai subsystem causes a kernel crash when using the 'perf stat' command with CPU hotplug events. The issue arises because the kernel does not allocate necessary per-CPU data structures for CPUs added during runtime, leading to a NULL pointer dereference and kernel panic. The flaw affects specific versions of the linux-hwe-edge kernel and has been resolved by adding CPU hotplug support that properly initializes these data structures when CPUs are brought online or taken offline.

References

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