NULL dereference in Linux kernel mshv_vtl register page mapping
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
- Fixed
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
The Linux kernel mshv_vtl driver from 6.19 does not check whether a CPU's register page exists before mapping it. If register page setup fails on one CPU while another CPU succeeds, the driver checks a global flag instead of that CPU's page, so a userspace page fault on the missing page dereferences a NULL pointer.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mshv_vtl: Check per-CPU register page before mmap Register-page setup is optional for each CPU. If allocation or registration fails, mshv_vtl_configure_reg_page() warns and leaves that CPU's reg_page NULL, but initial context setup continues successfully. Meanwhile, successful setup on another CPU sets the global mshv_has_reg_page flag. mshv_vtl_fault() checks this global flag before selecting the requested CPU's register page. With mixed setup results across online CPUs, the check passes even for a CPU with no register page, reaching get_page(NULL) when userspace faults in that mapping. Check the selected per-CPU register page before taking its reference and return VM_FAULT_SIGBUS if it is absent.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
Upgrade the Linux kernel to 7.2.13 or 7.3.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 7.2.13, 7.3
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
Not affected: 7 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5
Timeline
- 2026-10-28 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-99168
- 2026-10-28 Alias added: GHSA-3wc5-v6vv-97qx
- 2026-10-29 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-29 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
More Linux vulnerabilities
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- TI-2021-02452 Incorrect authorization in Ubuntu linux kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
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- 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
Sources
- CVE-2026-99168 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-99168 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-3wc5-v6vv-97qx · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-99168 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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