VulnerabilityPublished 18 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98546: Linux kernel · arm64/boot: Disable trapping of PMZR_EL0 writes to EL2

Source GCVE Database

Authoritative record:CVE-2026-98546· High

Not known to be exploited · fixed in ce71865bf43f88bed9d9218e9218e537150be506 : patch Linux kernel soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC

Severity

High

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 9% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in ce71865bf43f88bed9d9218e9218e537150be506, bb8c90c86441c090e9036f019cf1b4d7894a2c40, 071f51188a5d8ec10535541255587976d12fc7d8 +3

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 18 Oct 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.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

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What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected >=6.12.25 <6.12.112 >=6.14.4 <6.15	Fixed in ce71865bf43f88bed9d9218e9218e537150be506 bb8c90c86441c090e9036f019cf1b4d7894a2c40 071f51188a5d8ec10535541255587976d12fc7d8 6.15 6.12.112 2bc6b218717b9d08f466f88209251d54bc09b207
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.15	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

The vulnerability has been resolved in the Linux kernel by properly setting the nPMZR_EL0 trap bit and handling PMZR_EL0 writes correctly. Users should apply the official Linux kernel update that includes this fix. Patch status is not explicitly stated in the input data; therefore, check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel arm64 architecture related to trapping PMZR_EL0 writes to EL2 has been resolved. The issue arises because PMZR_EL0 is write-only and its trap bit exists only in HDFGWTR2_EL2, which was never set, causing a write from the host to trap to EL2 where the hypervisor lacks a handler and triggers a BUG(). This can cause the host to crash without a panic message when kernel.perf_user_access=1 is enabled and a user-read event is set. The fix involves properly accumulating the HDFGWTR2_EL2 bits and setting the nPMZR_EL0 trap bit correctly.

References

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