NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel xe BO eviction
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
The Linux kernel xe driver, from 6.8, is affected. A buffer object with no placed memory resource, such as an imported dma-buf whose resource was freed during teardown, can reach eviction, where the driver dereferences a NULL pointer and the kernel faults.
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: drm/xe: skip eviction of a BO with no resource xe_evict_flags() switches on tbo->resource->mem_type to choose an eviction placement. An xe BO can reach eviction with no ttm.resource, e.g. an imported dma-buf BO whose resource was freed during teardown while its attachment is still live: the exporter then invalidates it via xe_dma_buf_move_notify() -> xe_bo_evict(), and the switch dereferences a NULL resource and faults. A BO with no resource has nothing placed or mapped, so there is nothing to evict. Return an empty placement (num_placement = 0), mirroring the handling already used for non-xe scatter-gather BOs just above; ttm_bo_validate() then takes the pipeline-gutting path and returns 0. Without the fix the xe_dma_buf@xe_test_dmabuf_move_notify_no_resource dynamic live selftest will fail with below stack. BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000010 RIP: 0010:xe_evict_flags+0xf4/0x140 [xe] Call Trace: <TASK> xe_bo_evict+0x40/0xa0 [xe] ? ttm_bo_pipeline_gutting+0x71/0x180 [ttm] xe_test_dmabuf_move_notify_no_resource+0x182/0x440 [xe] xe_dma_buf_kunit+0x387/0x580 [xe] v2: Add Fixes tag and failure info in commit text (Matt Brost) (cherry picked from commit dbcfaac6331f1fcb0c2fe3ad3e9adb1e5d43ec0c)
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
Fixed Linux kernel versions are 6.18.59, 7.2.13 and 7.3. Red Hat lists no fix available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 and Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5, which Red Hat rates Moderate.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.18.59, 7.2.13, 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: 5 products
- 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
Timeline
- 2026-10-28 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-99209
- 2026-10-28 Alias added: GHSA-c2vc-wwpc-95xx
- 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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Sources
- CVE-2026-99209 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-99209 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-c2vc-wwpc-95xx · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-99209 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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