VulnerabilityPublished 2 Nov 2026

CVE-2026-99221: Linux kernel · keys/trusted_keys: return immediately after TPM unseal failure

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · fixed in ed697a5f667435bbb1cedbe5bd9f300de645047d : patch Linux kernel soon.

Data as of 2 Nov 2026, 16:32 UTC

Severity

High

Rated High by Threat Radar's AI analysis · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

Patch: Available – fixed in ed697a5f667435bbb1cedbe5bd9f300de645047d, e55d48f21f591a9fe80d26b5fbd1912ea725d9e6, 4876f09ce222e140a73aad950882b3605440c935 +4

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 2 Nov 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: 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 2 Nov 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.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), 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.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 5d0682be318910e028bdf57c90a1695ffc34be37, < ed697a5f667435bbb1cedbe5bd9f300de645047d	Fixed in ed697a5f667435bbb1cedbe5bd9f300de645047d
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 5d0682be318910e028bdf57c90a1695ffc34be37, < e55d48f21f591a9fe80d26b5fbd1912ea725d9e6	Fixed in e55d48f21f591a9fe80d26b5fbd1912ea725d9e6
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 5d0682be318910e028bdf57c90a1695ffc34be37, < 4876f09ce222e140a73aad950882b3605440c935	Fixed in 4876f09ce222e140a73aad950882b3605440c935
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 5d0682be318910e028bdf57c90a1695ffc34be37, < 234d09bb3b3d84851d4b3246272addc30f3353eb	Fixed in 234d09bb3b3d84851d4b3246272addc30f3353eb
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 5d0682be318910e028bdf57c90a1695ffc34be37, < 63b19ec2863b2cb5279b746ecd3d6210b1a93945	Fixed in 63b19ec2863b2cb5279b746ecd3d6210b1a93945
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 5d0682be318910e028bdf57c90a1695ffc34be37, < 6e359d8cb8580b9874801dea930086effd4d9c62	Fixed in 6e359d8cb8580b9874801dea930086effd4d9c62

AI-suggested

A fix is available and has been applied in the Linux kernel. Users should update to a fixed kernel version containing the specified commits to ensure the vulnerability is remediated.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's trusted_keys subsystem causes the function trusted_tpm_unseal() to continue processing after a TPM unseal failure, potentially allowing key instantiation to succeed incorrectly. This happens because the error from the unseal operation is overwritten by a subsequent call to pcrlock(), masking the failure. The issue has been fixed by returning immediately upon unseal failure to preserve the original error.

Impact

The vulnerability could allow key instantiation to succeed even when the TPM unseal operation fails, potentially undermining the security guarantees of trusted key handling in the Linux kernel. This could lead to unauthorized use of keys that should have been rejected due to TPM unseal failure. No known exploits in the wild have been reported.

Summary

The Linux kernel's trusted_keys component had a flaw where the trusted_tpm_unseal() function did not return immediately after a TPM unseal failure. Instead, it proceeded to call pcrlock(), and if pcrlock() succeeded, its return value overwrote the original unseal error. This caused the key instantiation process to incorrectly succeed despite the TPM unseal failure. The fix involves returning immediately after the unseal failure to maintain the correct error state and prevent improper key instantiation.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 2 Nov 2026, 16:32 UTC

Technical details

References

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