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CVE-2026-98156

Linux: drm/virtio: use the DMA API for resource backing on Xen

Linux LinuxOperating systems
CVSS
7.8High
ExploitationNo known exploitationNot in CISA KEV, which does not prove it is unexploitedCISA KEV
Exploit odds (EPSS)0.14%Chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 2% of CVEs. Scored 23 Oct 2026FIRST EPSS
Fixed in32e999ccf5f6453b3b4df8264ff1b03c6720292fAlso 3f130cc6826fabf50e01fe8e4ff3ed1fcae50d36, 93c557e947ef0040004b1ac6a1c1265d79a957e1 and 2 moreCVE List
Published25 Sep 2026Updated 21 Oct 2026CVE List

What fixes it

  • 32e999ccf5f6453b3b4df8264ff1b03c6720292fLinuxCVE List
  • 3f130cc6826fabf50e01fe8e4ff3ed1fcae50d36LinuxCVE List
  • 93c557e947ef0040004b1ac6a1c1265d79a957e1LinuxCVE List
  • 455184dbe9652d01470d3c5cf5edd09a7a673a99LinuxCVE List
  • 6a736d2f9d0c6e6217fe7532bc4c50ceca71db78LinuxCVE List

A fixed version on one release line is not the upgrade target for every line. Check your exact version and any vendor backports.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

drm/virtio: use the DMA API for resource backing on Xen

On a Xen PV domain page addresses bear no relation to the real machine addresses the host would have to use to reach it. virtio_ring.c handles this correctly, vring_use_map_api() returns true for any xen_domain() regardless of VIRTIO_F_ACCESS_PLATFORM.

virtio-gpu makes the same decision independently, but its copy looks only at the feature bit:

bool use_dma_api = !virtio_has_dma_quirk(vgdev->vdev);

QEMU does not set iommu_platform on virtio-vga by default, so VIRTIO_F_ACCESS_PLATFORM is not negotiated, use_dma_api is false, and virtio_gpu_object_shmem_init() describes the framebuffer's backing pages to the host with sg_phys(). Those are guest-physical addresses. In a PV domain they resolve, on the host side, to pages belonging to some other domain, so the host scans out unrelated memory.

Move the decision into virtio_gpu_use_dma_api() and give it the xen_domain() check, like vring_use_map_api() has. This additionally enables the dma_sync_sgtable_for_device() calls in virtgpu_vq.c, which are required for correctness whenever swiotlb is in play.

Reproduced with a Xen 4.21 PV dom0 nested inside QEMU 8.2 with virtio-vga, on both a distro 6.8 kernel and 6.18 LTS. A PVH dom0 works fine and doesn't need this fix because it is identity-mapped, only PV dom0s are affected.

Text from CVE List

Affected versions 12

  • Linuxaffected: a3b815f09bb846255c458c181b8a5b1cc66891b4 before 32e999ccf5f6453b3b4df8264ff1b03c6720292fCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: a3b815f09bb846255c458c181b8a5b1cc66891b4 before 3f130cc6826fabf50e01fe8e4ff3ed1fcae50d36CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: a3b815f09bb846255c458c181b8a5b1cc66891b4 before 93c557e947ef0040004b1ac6a1c1265d79a957e1CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: a3b815f09bb846255c458c181b8a5b1cc66891b4 before 455184dbe9652d01470d3c5cf5edd09a7a673a99CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: a3b815f09bb846255c458c181b8a5b1cc66891b4 before 6a736d2f9d0c6e6217fe7532bc4c50ceca71db78CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 4.20CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: all versions before 4.20CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.6.160 through 6.6.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.12.114 through 6.12.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.18.53 through 6.18.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.2.7 through 7.2.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.3CVE List

References 5