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TI-2026-79875 Aliases CVE-2026-99082GHSA-58r9-ch9w-px7w

Stale MMIO cache in Linux KVM x86 misroutes SMM memory accesses

Priority LOW 37Published · Updated

Key facts

Attack vector
Local
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low
Impact type
—
Confidentiality · integrity · availability
High · High · High
Fix status
Partial Red Hat: 7 without a fix

Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.

Summary

The Linux kernel KVM x86 per-vCPU MMIO cache checks the wrong memslots when a vCPU runs in SMM, so it can treat accesses to valid RAM as MMIO. A local user with low privileges can trigger this, and the effect reaches beyond the guest. The VMM may then write backing RAM without KVM write tracking, which can leave nested EPT shadow translations based on old contents.

Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-30

Description from the CNA

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: x86: Use active memslots for the per-vCPU MMIO cache KVM tags the per-vCPU MMIO cache with a memslot generation so that a memslot update invalidates cached MMIO information. Both the fill and validation paths use kvm_memslots(), which unconditionally selects address space 0, even when the vCPU is running in SMM and using address space 1. Commit 56f17dd3fbc4 ("kvm: x86: fix stale mmio cache bug") added the memslot generation to the cache key so that a memslot update could not leave a stale entry valid. When commit 699023e23965 ("KVM: x86: add SMM to the MMU role, support SMRAM address space") added the SMM address space, these helpers were not converted to use the active memslots. Consequently, an update to the SMM memslots can leave an entry from the old SMM address space apparently valid after the vCPU returns to the normal address space. A guest can then cause an access to valid RAM at the same GFN to be returned to userspace as KVM_EXIT_MMIO. Completing that exit through the VMM's RAM address space writes the backing page without going through KVM's write-tracking path. If the page backs a nested EPT table, KVM can continue using shadow translations derived from the old contents. The WARN_ON_ONCE() in kvm_mmu_write_protect_fault() catches this invalid cache and memslot combination. Use the vCPU's active memslots when caching and validating the entry. Memslot generations are unique across address spaces, so the generation also distinguishes the normal and SMM views. This matches the MMIO SPTE cache, which already uses kvm_vcpu_memslots(). On an unpatched current-mainline kernel, a regression test that fills the cache in SMM and updates only the SMM memslots fails the intended RAM write and triggers the kvm_mmu_write_protect_fault() warning. With this change, the same test completes the RAM write without a warning. The x86/smm_test, set_memory_region_test, and memslot_modification_stress_test selftests also pass.

Why it matters now

EPSS 0.00157 4th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Partial Linux (Linux): 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191 +5Red Hat: 7 without a fix

SSVC decision points

Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.

Affected products

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed inStatusSource
LinuxLinux4.2 and later5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.58, 7.2.12, 7.3Patch availableCNA
  • Linux VendorLinux Affected 4.2 and later Fixed in 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.58, 7.2.12, 7.3 Patch available CNA

CPE names Threatist (inferred) · 1

Inferred from how NVD named this product before; not given by a source.

CPEVersionsRoleVendor
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*——Linux
  • cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions — — ·Linux

Remediation

Update the Linux kernel to 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.58, 7.2.12 or 7.3, or to a build that includes the upstream fixing commits. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 has no fix planned, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, 8, 9, 10, OpenShift Container Platform 4 and OpenShift Container Platform 5 have no fix available yet.

Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-30

  • Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.58, 7.2.12, 7.3

Vendor assessments

Red Hat

Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →

ProductStatusPlan or fix
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10AffectedNo fix yet: Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6AffectedNo fix planned: Out of support scope
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7AffectedNo fix yet: Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8AffectedNo fix yet: Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9AffectedNo fix yet: Fix deferred
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4AffectedNo fix yet: Fix deferred
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5AffectedNo fix yet: Fix deferred

Timeline

  1. 2026-10-23 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-99082
  2. 2026-10-23 Alias added: GHSA-58r9-ch9w-px7w
  3. 2026-10-24 CVSS score added · CNA
  4. 2026-10-24 Priority changed: LOW → MEDIUM
  5. 2026-10-24 Priority changed: MEDIUM → LOW
  6. 2026-10-26 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
  7. 2026-10-26 CVSS score added · Red Hat
  8. 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/Linux@1c77d33d85786d36e56ca1b580fb55347fd65b47, Linux/Linux@445e3369ac8cc1b18aedc8e8f977c68a0a326fa9, Linux/Linux@485a5286675b15b00ee850d90eaa178cc588445f +3 · CNA
  9. 2026-10-30 3 new references · CNA
  10. 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat

References

  • TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
  • TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
  • TI-2021-02452 Incorrect authorization in Ubuntu linux kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
  • TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
  • TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
  • TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
See all 21741 →

Sources