VulnerabilityPublished 3 Nov 2026Updated 4 Nov 2026

CVE-2026-99225: Linux kernel · keys: Check the authorization payload in process keyring searches

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

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Authoritative record:CVE-2026-99225· High

Not known to be exploited.

Data as of 5 Nov 2026, 00:01 UTC

Severity

High

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 7% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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 4 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

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Ubuntu 26.10linux`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=stonking`Other threats	Affected 7.0.0-14.14 – 7.3.0-10.10 7 affected builds	Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.10linux-aws`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=stonking`Other threats	Affected 7.0.0-1004.4 – 7.3.0-1004.4 6 affected builds	Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.10linux-azure`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=stonking`Other threats	Affected 7.0.0-1004.4 – 7.3.0-1004.4 6 affected builds	Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.10linux-azure-fde`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=stonking`Other threats	Affected 7.0.0-1004.4 – 7.3.0-1004.5 4 affected builds	Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.10linux-gcp`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=stonking`Other threats	Affected 7.0.0-1003.3 – 7.3.0-1004.4 6 affected builds	Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.10linux-oracle`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-oracle?arch=source&distro=stonking`Other threats	Affected 7.0.0-1003.3 – 7.3.0-1004.4 6 affected builds	Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

A fix for this vulnerability is available as it has been resolved in the Linux kernel. Users should apply the updated kernel versions that include this patch. Since this is a kernel-level issue, upgrading to a fixed kernel release is the recommended mitigation. No other specific mitigations or workarounds are indicated.

Description

CVE-2026-99225 is a vulnerability in the Linux kernel's key management subsystem where an authorization payload can be cleared during process keyring searches, leading to a NULL pointer dereference and kernel crash (oops). This occurs due to a race condition between a request-key helper and its descendant process, where the authorization key is invalidated but the payload pointer is cleared asynchronously. The flaw was addressed by ensuring the payload is loaded safely and validated as non-NULL before use.

Impact

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability can cause a kernel oops (crash) due to a NULL pointer dereference in the keyring search code path. This results in denial of service by crashing the affected Linux kernel. There is no indication of privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution from the provided data.

Summary

The vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves the function search_process_keyrings_rcu() which searches the requestor's keyrings using an authorization payload and saved credentials. The authorization key is validated, but the payload pointer can be cleared by request_key_auth_revoke() during concurrent operations, causing a NULL pointer dereference when the descendant process attempts to access rka->cred. This race condition can cause a kernel oops due to dereferencing a NULL pointer. The fix involves loading the payload with dereference_key_rcu() and requiring a non-NULL payload before validation and fallback searches, ensuring the payload and credentials remain valid during the RCU read-side critical section.

GCVE source: db.gcve.eu
OSV ID: UBUNTU-CVE-2026-99225
Osv Schema Version: 1.7.0
Ecosystems: Ubuntu:16.04:LTS, Ubuntu:18.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS, Ubuntu:20.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:FIPS-updates:20.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:FIPS:20.04:LTS, Ubuntu:22.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Nvidia-BlueField:22.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:Realtime:22.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:FIPS-preview:22.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:FIPS-updates:22.04:LTS, Ubuntu:24.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Nvidia-BlueField:24.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:Realtime:24.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:FIPS-updates:24.04:LTS, Ubuntu:26.10, Ubuntu:26.04:LTS

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 4 Nov 2026, 21:24 UTC

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