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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-98471: Linux kernel · KVM: SEV: Do cache maintenance on the source VM during intra-host migration

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.1 High · fixed in d4cc2dff12116a700add601c0262132cc26e1b2c : patch Linux kernel soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.1High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 4% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in d4cc2dff12116a700add601c0262132cc26e1b2c, 93de2a6a4b91b72607136dd656edf03fb399d27f, 37dfb676fafd1eef36fe0bb649607afbb0d5521b
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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 Linux kernel to d4cc2dff12116a700add601c0262132cc26e1b2c, 93de2a6a4b91b72607136dd656edf03fb399d27f or 37dfb676fafd1eef36fe0bb649607afbb0d5521b.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ b56639318bb2be66aceba92836279714488709b4, < d4cc2dff12116a700add601c0262132cc26e1b2c
Fixed in
  • d4cc2dff12116a700add601c0262132cc26e1b2c
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ b56639318bb2be66aceba92836279714488709b4, < 93de2a6a4b91b72607136dd656edf03fb399d27f
Fixed in
  • 93de2a6a4b91b72607136dd656edf03fb399d27f
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ b56639318bb2be66aceba92836279714488709b4, < 37dfb676fafd1eef36fe0bb649607afbb0d5521b
Fixed in
  • 37dfb676fafd1eef36fe0bb649607afbb0d5521b
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • =5.16
Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix is available and has been applied in specific Linux kernel commits identified by hashes d4cc2dff12116a700add601c0262132cc26e1b2c, 93de2a6a4b91b72607136dd656edf03fb399d27f, and 37dfb676fafd1eef36fe0bb649607afbb0d5521b. Users running Linux kernel version 5.16 should update to a patched version containing these commits to remediate the vulnerability.

Description

CVE-2026-98471 is a vulnerability in the Linux kernel's KVM SEV implementation affecting version 5.16. It involves improper cache maintenance on the source virtual machine (VM) during intra-host migration, which could leave stale data in CPU caches after the VM is destroyed. This issue arises because the source VM is converted to a non-SEV VM, and KVM's memory reclaim processes do not trigger necessary cache maintenance. The vulnerability has been fixed in specific Linux kernel commits.

References

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