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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-98464: Linux kernel · RISC-V: KVM: Synchronize hrtimer callback during teardown

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 9.3 Critical · fixed in ea91f05a55b807ead3166546a2c75f4185ca645f : patch Linux kernel as a priority.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:55 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
9.3Critical
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 3% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in ea91f05a55b807ead3166546a2c75f4185ca645f, e66aced74f0122380603c9910a71d77618b28f0e, aaad136d56d91252517272b68cd533e5714698d5 +3
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 18 Oct 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

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 3a9f66cb25e18a3eeca36c08d9f823a35b3ddc22, < ea91f05a55b807ead3166546a2c75f4185ca645f
Fixed in
  • ea91f05a55b807ead3166546a2c75f4185ca645f
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 3a9f66cb25e18a3eeca36c08d9f823a35b3ddc22, < e66aced74f0122380603c9910a71d77618b28f0e
Fixed in
  • e66aced74f0122380603c9910a71d77618b28f0e
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 3a9f66cb25e18a3eeca36c08d9f823a35b3ddc22, < aaad136d56d91252517272b68cd533e5714698d5
Fixed in
  • aaad136d56d91252517272b68cd533e5714698d5
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 3a9f66cb25e18a3eeca36c08d9f823a35b3ddc22, < 9bdbae64ae0dab93041ebc57ec4e93def793fc2d
Fixed in
  • 9bdbae64ae0dab93041ebc57ec4e93def793fc2d
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 3a9f66cb25e18a3eeca36c08d9f823a35b3ddc22, < 3cc6184bd5920c9685d87f4e260568feba08650d
Fixed in
  • 3cc6184bd5920c9685d87f4e260568feba08650d
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 3a9f66cb25e18a3eeca36c08d9f823a35b3ddc22, < 2af03b606aadaaeb386658ef798c79bdcdef87c1
Fixed in
  • 2af03b606aadaaeb386658ef798c79bdcdef87c1

AI-suggested

A fix is available and has been applied in multiple upstream Linux kernel commits. Users should update to a Linux kernel version that includes the patches identified by the fixed commit hashes (e.g., ea91f05a55b807ead3166546a2c75f4185ca645f and others). No additional mitigation is required beyond applying the official kernel updates that synchronize hrtimer_cancel() with running callbacks to prevent use-after-free during vCPU teardown.

Description

CVE-2026-98464 is a critical vulnerability in the Linux kernel's RISC-V KVM implementation involving a race condition during hrtimer callback teardown. The flaw allows a use-after-free condition where a vCPU can be freed while a timer callback is still running, potentially leading to kernel memory corruption. This occurs when the timer is armed by a guest and the VM is destroyed concurrently, causing a race between timer callback execution and vCPU destruction. The issue has been fixed by ensuring hrtimer_cancel() synchronizes with any running callbacks before vCPU teardown.

References

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