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CVE-2026-99176

Linux: KVM: nVMX: Reset MMU back to the root MMU if loading L2 state fails for !VM-Entry

Linux LinuxOperating systems
CVSS
NoneNot scored
ExploitationNo known exploitationNot in CISA KEV, which does not prove it is unexploitedCISA KEV
Exploit odds (EPSS)No scoreNo FIRST EPSS score in this snapshot yet
Fixed inNone listedNo source names a fixed version yet
Published28 Oct 2026Updated 28 Oct 2026CVE List

What fixes it

No source in this snapshot names a fixed version.

Description

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

KVM: nVMX: Reset MMU back to the root MMU if loading L2 state fails for !VM-Entry

Reset the vCPU's MMU pointer back to the root MMU if loading L2 state fails in the "not from VM-Entry" case, i.e. when emulating RSM or handling KVM_SET_NESTED_STATE. Failure to unwind the MMU pointer results in KVM trying to run L1 with a nested MMU, and is especially problematic if the vCPU manages to free its nested state before the VM crashes. Constructing the root for a nested EPT MMU goes through vmcs12, which is dynamically allocated/freed when nVMX is enabled/disabled. And so if the nested state is freed with the MMU still pointing at the nested MMU, KVM will hit a NULL pointer deref when attempting to get L1=>L2 EPTP.

BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000078 #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page PGD 114a2d067 P4D 111743067 PUD 11141f067 PMD 0 Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP CPU: 20 UID: 1000 PID: 1272 Comm: nested_tdp_faul Not tainted 7.3.0-rc4-8c89f11d1a99b-sink-vm #1914 PREEMPTLAZY Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 0.0.0 02/06/2015 RIP: 0010:nested_ept_get_eptp+0xb/0x10 [kvm_intel] Call Trace: <TASK> kvm_mmu_load+0xcd/0x870 [kvm] kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_run+0x18f5/0x1f80 [kvm] kvm_vcpu_ioctl+0x2c7/0x970 [kvm] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x90/0xd0 do_syscall_64+0x9c/0x4d0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53 RIP: 0033:0x47491b </TASK> Modules linked in: kvm_intel kvm irqbypass CR2: 0000000000000078 ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]--- RIP: 0010:nested_ept_get_eptp+0xb/0x10 [kvm_intel]

[sean: write changelog]

Text from CVE List

Affected versions 8

  • Linuxaffected: 72e9cbdb43384ceacc49e2fb6b8c8fb7c5988778 before d00d5f534a8238674755e59826a6c7d3c8efb870CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 72e9cbdb43384ceacc49e2fb6b8c8fb7c5988778 before c9716f956216eb74ab0aad7f633586edd49e0322CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 72e9cbdb43384ceacc49e2fb6b8c8fb7c5988778 before c8f4cfe1cf93bce924e27f2abead7a4c4a487505CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 4.15CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: all versions before 4.15CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.18.59 through 6.18.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.2.13 through 7.2.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.3CVE List

References 3