CVE-2026-97994: Linux kernel · vhost/vdpa: reject VRING_NUM larger than device max
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC
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 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 has been implemented in the Linux kernel to properly validate queue sizes against device maximums and to handle caching of queue size state correctly. Users should apply the official kernel updates that include this fix. Since this is a kernel vulnerability, upgrading to a patched kernel version is the recommended remediation.
Description
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's vhost/vdpa subsystem allows a process with access to /dev/vhost-vdpa-* to configure a queue size larger than the device's maximum. This can lead to out-of-bounds reads in the vdpa_sim worker, potentially causing memory safety issues. The flaw arises because vhost_vring_set_num() accepts any non-zero power-of-two queue size without verifying it against the device's maximum queue size. The issue has been resolved by improving validation and caching mechanisms in the kernel.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-97994 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97994 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/ccb1dc7c527f8c925925cf92afc76ae590dac311 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/59522639a7d71cff4e20d594d0b9ea30dd0c77e0 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/68232102f20fc961327fb9e0f605a7eaadf030a9 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/1d09201d81b7d3e276860cc7b7dbf6c6cbe8e9b4 (opens in a new tab)
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97994 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/4875c65ca53797a0a402fe2bb54d1b12f28b3cda (opens in a new tab)