powerpc/kexec_file: Prevent kexec range truncation
Key facts
- Attack vector
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- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
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- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 4 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: powerpc/kexec_file: Prevent kexec range truncation Sashiko AI review pointed out the following issue. The __merge_memory_ranges() function incorrectly handles overlapping memory ranges when merging them. Although sort_memory_ranges() sorts all ranges by their start address in ascending order beforehand, the merge logic remains defective in two ways: 1. It compares the current range's start against the previous element (i-1) instead of the running target index (idx) 2. It unconditionally overwrites 'ranges[idx].end' with 'ranges[i].end'. This logic flaw leads to critical memory truncation when a larger memory range completely subsumes subsequent smaller ranges. For example, consider a sorted input array with three ranges: Range A (idx=0): [0x1000 - 0x9000] Range B (i=1): [0x2000 - 0x5000] (completely inside Range A) Range C (i=2): [0x6000 - 0x8000] (completely inside Range A) 1. When i=1 (Range B): ranges[1].start (0x2000) <= ranges[0].end + 1 (0x9001) is TRUE. The code executes: ranges[0].end = ranges[1].end, which erroneously shrinks Range A's end from 0x9000 down to 0x5000. 2. When i=2 (Range C): ranges[2].start (0x6000) <= ranges[1].end + 1 (0x5001) is FALSE. The code falls into the else block, creating a broken new range. As a result, valid memory fragments [0x5001 - 0x5fff] and [0x8001 - 0x9000] are completely lost from the kexec exclude lists, potentially allowing the crash kernel to overwrite active memory, causing data corruption or crashes. Fix this by ensuring the start of the current range is compared against the end of the active merged range (idx), and use max() to safely prevent the outer boundary from being truncated.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.110, 6.18.51, 7.2.5, 7.3
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 4 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-89962
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-52p7-4c9h-jcc7
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-21 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@ffbdc2a3834a3e47bac7236a71bbc82b45c83832 · CNA
- 2026-10-21 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/Linux@1b9f9d566a5826da373dce7fe8958a4f23e86019, Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-30 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-11-01 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-11-01 CVSS score added · Red Hat
References
Other 6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1b9f9d566a5826da373dce7fe8958a4f23e86019
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ffbdc2a3834a3e47bac7236a71bbc82b45c83832
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9ef63622e6cee588ea4b763a6afc87065254b36a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/da88a2a2119e4fd0e8919a7a2448682f574e1545
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c4cb547f26d9b73b489c5278d0c8db837c5a174f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fa40f9dbdd4af53e7445d9135b5b207eb8adf372
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Sources
- CVE-2026-89962 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-89962 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-52p7-4c9h-jcc7 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-89962 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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