NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel asymmetric key restriction
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 asymmetric keys code accepts a PKCS#8 private key as a trust key for key_or_keyring restrictions even though it carries no key IDs. The restriction check then dereferences an empty payload slot, causing a NULL pointer dereference. An unprivileged caller can trigger it through KEYCTL_RESTRICT_KEYRING followed by add_key(). CISA has not added this to its KEV catalog.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-04
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: asymmetric_keys: reject trust keys without IDs The PKCS#8 parser deliberately leaves the asym_key_ids payload slot empty. key_or_keyring_common() unconditionally dereferences that slot when a PKCS#8 key is supplied to a key_or_keyring restriction. Both the plain and :chain forms reach this branch, allowing an unprivileged caller to trigger a NULL pointer dereference through KEYCTL_RESTRICT_KEYRING followed by add_key(). Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc0000000000 KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000000-0x0000000000000007] RIP: 0010:key_or_keyring_common (crypto/asymmetric_keys/restrict.c:205 crypto/asymmetric_keys/restrict.c:279) Call Trace: <TASK> __key_create_or_update (security/keys/key.c:884) key_create_or_update (security/keys/key.c:1021) __do_sys_add_key (security/keys/keyctl.c:134) do_syscall_64 (arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83) entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:130) </TASK> Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception Reject an asymmetric restriction key without key IDs. A PKCS#8 private key cannot identify the signer of a candidate certificate and is not a valid trust anchor.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
Update the Linux kernel to 6.1.191, 6.6.161, 6.12.115, 6.18.60, 7.2.14, 7.3.1 or 7.4-rc1, or to a kernel that includes the fixed commits listed for the affected ranges. Red Hat reports no available fix plan for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 and Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-04
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.191, 6.6.161, 6.12.115, 6.18.60, 7.2.14, 7.3.1, 7.4-rc1
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
- 2026-11-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-99220
- 2026-11-02 Alias added: GHSA-3f74-mwpq-qqxv
- 2026-11-03 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@9695df3b1db4ac4534274d38ee16e3b9b0bf910e · CNA
- 2026-11-03 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-11-04 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-11-04 CVSS score added · Red Hat
References
Other 7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/889a2293a95f6c2880bf73b67f9b0af23251a128
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7f0728ba89624e25df2bb80ff59bbfb545060935
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2a40bdd4409567de4c2a141ac66439dc238af752
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1aa0c7aa4c2554a5b6d74ae1924508ca4718234b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/33a078f04e264eb71aa9f209cb334e4010123818
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/57e54b6939c6539d90a81c7e57531901d5991651
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9695df3b1db4ac4534274d38ee16e3b9b0bf910e
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Sources
- CVE-2026-99220 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-99220 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-3f74-mwpq-qqxv · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-99220 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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