CVE-2026-98283 (CVSS 8.8)

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: PPC: Book3S HV: fix use-after-free in kvmhv_emulate_tlbie_all_lpid() kvmhv_emulate_tlbie_all_lpid() iterates the nested-guest IDR and drops mmu_lock before calling kvmhv_emulate_tlbie_lpid(), but does not hold a reference on the kvm_nested_guest pointer obtained from the IDR. A concurrent vCPU issuing a single-LPID tlbie (is=2, ric=2) can race through kvmhv_flush_nested() -> kvmhv_remove_nested() -> idr_remove / --refcnt -> kvmhv_release_nested() -> kfree(gp) in that window, leaving the iterating vCPU with a dangling pointer. The subsequent mutex_lock(&gp->tlb_lock) and accesses to gp->shadow_pgtable, gp->shadow_lpid and gp->l1_host all touch freed memory. The free path is fully L1-controlled. Fix this by incrementing gp->refcnt inside the loop before dropping mmu_lock, mirroring what kvmhv_get_nested() does, and releasing the reference with kvmhv_put_nested() after the per-guest work completes. This is the same get/put discipline already used at every other call site that drops mmu_lock while holding a nested-guest pointer.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

8.8

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0013

Probability of exploitation

0.02%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

References

Other References

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/24b634852413229bb8340d908b115c3365f3a247 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4d8f7b1f586375df8bce23a0909566ad5e852259 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/51938dfa8a51a4f85328413fca9b6e21f9d2d088 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e37fba1ba69385cff2d0e60b371ee19e7d1852d1 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ec2d7a52b3996ae81131617b4afc0af31583c1b4 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fbf69b7d0555ee83c871f58750770f74b7179ad1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-98283? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: PPC: Book3S HV: fix use-after-free in kvmhv_emulate_tlbie_all_lpid() kvmhv_emulate_tlbie_all_lpid() iterates the nested-guest IDR and drops mmu_lock before calling kvmhv_emulate_tlbie_lpid(), but does not hold a reference on the kvm_nested_guest pointer obtained from the IDR. A concurrent vCPU issuing a single-LPID tlbie (is=2, ric=2) can race through kvmhv_flush_nested() -> kvmhv_remove_nested() -> idr_remove / --refcnt -> kvmhv_release_nested() -> kfree(gp) in that window, leaving the iterating vCPU with a dangling pointer. The subsequent mutex_lock(&gp->tlb_lock) and accesses to gp->shadow_pgtable, gp->shadow_lpid and gp->l1_host all touch freed memory. The free path is fully L1-controlled. Fix this by incrementing gp->refcnt inside the loop before dropping mmu_lock, mirroring what kvmhv_get_nested() does, and releasing the reference with kvmhv_put_nested() after the per-guest work completes. This is the same get/put discipline already used at every other call site that drops mmu_lock while holding a nested-guest pointer. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-98283? +

CVE-2026-98283 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.8 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0013, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-98283? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

CVE-2026-98283