CVE-2026-99168
NoneCVSS
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EPSS
0.2%
Published
Oct 28, 2026
CISA due date
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Cloudanix analysis
A bug in the Linux kernel can make some systems using certain virtualization features crash when software tries to access special memory pages.
- Exploitation
- Local Privilege
- Attacker needs
- Local User
- Complexity
- Low
- Impact
- Denial Of Service
- Component
- OS kernel
- Class
- Memory Corruption
- Remediation
- Patch
- Effort
- Low
- Patch risk
- Low
What it actually does
Null pointer dereference in mshv_vtl_fault when global mshv_has_reg_page flag is set but selected per-CPU reg_page is NULL, resulting in get_page(NULL) during userspace page fault handling.
Why it matters to the business
May cause kernel crashes or instability on systems running affected Linux kernels in virtualized or hypervisor-related workloads, with elevated urgency due to publication only three days ago.
How an attack unfolds
An attacker with local access maps the register page region; after mixed per-CPU setup leaves some CPUs without a reg_page, a fault on such a CPU bypasses the absent check and triggers the null dereference in the kernel fault handler.
How to fix it
Update to a Linux kernel containing the fix that checks the per-CPU register page before reference and returns VM_FAULT_SIGBUS on absence; apply vendor kernel updates as soon as available.
How to confirm the fix worked
Confirm kernel version contains the commit checking per-CPU reg_page in mshv_vtl_fault; review dmesg for warnings from mshv_vtl_configure_reg_page and test fault behavior on mixed-success CPU setups.
Typical attack path
- Obtain local unprivileged access to an affected Linux system
- Trigger mshv_vtl register page mapping for a CPU that failed allocation
- Cause page fault on the mapping to reach get_page(NULL)
- Trigger kernel oops or memory corruption
How to detect it
Search kernel logs for mshv_vtl warnings about failed reg_page allocation followed by faults; inspect for oops traces referencing mshv_vtl_fault and get_page.
What your security team should do
- Prioritize kernel updates for all systems using mshv_vtl
- Monitor for kernel oops involving mshv_vtl_fault
- Restrict unprivileged access to hypervisor interfaces until patched
The record
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.
Affected packages
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