Linux Kernel KVM IOAPIC Use-After-Free Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

August 24th, 2026
ZDI-26-608 ZDI-CAN-31468

CVE ID

CVSS Score

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

Affected Vendors

Linux

Affected Products

Kernel

Vulnerability Details

This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of Linux Kernel. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute high-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability.

The specific flaw exists within the handling of kvm_lapic objects. The issue results from the lack of validating the existence of an object prior to performing operations on the object. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of the kernel.

Additional Details

Linux has issued an update to correct this vulnerability. More details can be found at:
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/9910e835580fef3bef53b70241dd00c4bffad693

Disclosure Timeline

  • 2026-06-19 - Vulnerability reported to vendor
  • 2026-08-24 - Coordinated public release of advisory
  • 2026-08-24 - Advisory Updated

Credit

GangMin Kim

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