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Response snapshot Oct 27, 2026, 03:42 UTC

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VulnerabilityCVE-2026-98927

Linux kernel: KVM: arm64: nv: Fix life cycle of the nested_mmus array

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: arm64: nv: Fix life cycle of the nested_mmus array The nested_mmus array holds the shadow page tables that are used when a guest is running a nested context.

At a glance

Exploited
Not known
Severity
7.0 High (CVSS 3.1)
Chance of exploitation
0.2% in the next 30 days
Sources
1 source

What to do

Check the vendor advisory for affected versions and fixes.

Read NVD CVE-2026-98927 (opens a new tab)

What happened

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

KVM: arm64: nv: Fix life cycle of the nested_mmus array

The nested_mmus array holds the shadow page tables that are used when a guest is running a nested context. These structures are allocated on VCPU_INIT for whole guest, which implies that they may have to be relocated as the array grows.

Should a VCPU_INIT occur whilst a vcpu is actively running an L2 and that the allocation requires relocation, that vcpu will still be running with a pointer to the previous structure, which will have been freed.

Continue reading

Fix this by turning the array of structures to an array of pointers, which is now allocated at VM creation, sized to the absolute maximum that KVM can handle.

In turn, each VCPU_INIT contributes S2_MMU_PER_VCPU to the pool. No reallocation is ever performed, and the life cycle of each object is much clearer:

- the nested_mmus array is allocated in kvm_init_nested(), and freed in kvm_arch_destroy_vm()

- s2_mmu structures are allocated in kvm_vcpu_init_nested(), and freed on kvm_arch_flush_shadow_all()

Finally, the freeing of vcpu->arch.vncr_array is made consistent rather than being done on some failure paths, but not others.

Scores and how they were measured

CVSS base severity

7.0

Version 3.1As of

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

Measurement source (opens a new tab)

How bad it is if exploited. Not a prediction of exploitation or proof you are exposed.

EPSS probability

0.2%

Scored Percentile 4.5%

Model and measurement source (opens a new tab)

A model's estimate of exploitation in the next 30 days, not certainty or your own risk.

Related technology

Sources

  1. Primary source

    NVD CVE-2026-98927 (opens a new tab)

    NVD record: description, CVSS (the CNA score is preferred), affected products, and publication date. Not evidence of exploitation.

    Published Checked

  2. Primary source

    NVD CVE API 2.0 (opens a new tab)

    The NVD API page that supplied this CVE record.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  3. Primary source

    FIRST measured EPSS score (opens a new tab)

    Measured EPSS probability and percentile for CVE-2026-98927, scored 2026-10-26. This is a model estimate, not proof of exposure.

    Published Checked

Cite this record

For factual claims, cite the primary sources above; cite KEVWire for its compilation, dates, and classifications.

APA

KEVWire. (2026, October 24). Linux kernel: KVM: arm64: nv: Fix life cycle of the nested_mmus array (CVE-2026-98927). https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-98927

MLA

"Linux kernel: KVM: arm64: nv: Fix life cycle of the nested_mmus array (CVE-2026-98927)." KEVWire, 24 Oct. 2026, kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-98927.

Chicago

KEVWire. "Linux kernel: KVM: arm64: nv: Fix life cycle of the nested_mmus array (CVE-2026-98927)." Last modified October 24, 2026. https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-98927.

Evidence summary (plain text)

Linux kernel: KVM: arm64: nv: Fix life cycle of the nested_mmus array (Oct 23, 2026).
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

KVM: arm64: nv: Fix life cycle of the nested_mmus array

The nested_mmus array holds the shadow page tables that are used when
a guest is running a nested context. These structures are allocated on
VCPU_INIT for whole guest, which implies that they may have to be
relocated as the array grows.

Should a VCPU_INIT occur whilst a vcpu is actively running an L2 and
that the allocation requires relocation, that vcpu will still be
running with a pointer to the previous structure, which will have been
freed.

Fix this by turning the array of structures to an array of pointers,
which is now allocated at VM creation, sized to the absolute maximum
that KVM can handle.

In turn, each VCPU_INIT contributes S2_MMU_PER_VCPU to the pool. No
reallocation is ever performed, and the life cycle of each object is
much clearer:

- the nested_mmus array is allocated in kvm_init_nested(), and freed
  in kvm_arch_destroy_vm()

- s2_mmu structures are allocated in kvm_vcpu_init_nested(), and freed
  on kvm_arch_flush_shadow_all()

Finally, the freeing of vcpu->arch.vncr_array is made consistent
rather than being done on some failure paths, but not others.
CVSS 7.0 (version 3.1; evidence as of Oct 24, 2026; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98927).
EPSS 0.2% for the following 30 days, scored Oct 26, 2026 (https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-98927&date=2026-10-26).
Sources:
NVD CVE-2026-98927: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98927
NVD CVE API 2.0: https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?pubStartDate=2026-10-12T13:35:55.142Z&pubEndDate=2026-10-26T13:35:55.142Z&resultsPerPage=500&startIndex=9000
FIRST measured EPSS score: https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-98927&date=2026-10-26
Record ID: CVE-2026-98927.
Record origin: Ingested record.
AI evidence: Not assessed.
Known exploitation: Not assessed.
Zero-day status: Not assessed. KEV membership alone does not establish zero-day status.
About this data

This record was ingested from a data source. Retrieved: Oct 27, 2026, 01:40 UTC. Ingestion is not an independent editorial investigation.

NVD status: Received. Publication in the NVD is not evidence of exploitation.

A CISA KEV listing documents known exploitation, not necessarily a zero-day; absence from the catalog does not prove a vulnerability has never been exploited.

Technology tags indicate possible relevance, not verified exposure. Confirm the affected product, version, and configuration against your own inventory; KEVWire does not scan your systems.

A personal reading checklist on this device, not verified remediation.

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Record details

Record detail