VulnerabilityPublished 18 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98841: Linux kernel · virt: vmgenid: set driver_data before registering notification handlers

Source GCVE Database

Authoritative record:CVE-2026-98841· High

Not known to be exploited · fixed in 538fe5efaa9704ad820ba34b4f9df135ca873d79 : patch Linux kernel soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

Severity

High

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 538fe5efaa9704ad820ba34b4f9df135ca873d79, 9f8139c6145cf17d690d6c414d43b4c0bef632fb, 8f42954ad8bf9bdbf574f2c437ad30cb2601f401 +1

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.

ghsa-p8pc-3hw3-fwp9

What to do

Upgrade Linux kernel to 538fe5efaa9704ad820ba34b4f9df135ca873d79, 9f8139c6145cf17d690d6c414d43b4c0bef632fb, 8f42954ad8bf9bdbf574f2c437ad30cb2601f401 or 7a1e8daeaa466c6aaffa223e1afe9cfeece0dd47.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ e07606713a908eee8099883c8c830ebe33aaf748, < 538fe5efaa9704ad820ba34b4f9df135ca873d79	Fixed in 538fe5efaa9704ad820ba34b4f9df135ca873d79
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ e07606713a908eee8099883c8c830ebe33aaf748, < 9f8139c6145cf17d690d6c414d43b4c0bef632fb	Fixed in 9f8139c6145cf17d690d6c414d43b4c0bef632fb
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ e07606713a908eee8099883c8c830ebe33aaf748, < 8f42954ad8bf9bdbf574f2c437ad30cb2601f401	Fixed in 8f42954ad8bf9bdbf574f2c437ad30cb2601f401
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ e07606713a908eee8099883c8c830ebe33aaf748, < 7a1e8daeaa466c6aaffa223e1afe9cfeece0dd47	Fixed in 7a1e8daeaa466c6aaffa223e1afe9cfeece0dd47
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.10	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel to assign driver_data before registering notification handlers. Users should update to the fixed kernel version once available. Patch status is not explicitly confirmed in the provided data; check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's vmgenid driver was resolved by changing the order of operations during driver initialization. The issue involved registering notification handlers before setting the driver_data pointer, which could lead to a NULL pointer dereference and kernel panic if a notification arrived early. This affected both device tree and ACPI probe paths. The fix ensures driver_data is assigned before handler registration, preventing the NULL dereference.

References

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