Linux Kernel up to 6.18.50/7.2.4 KVM s390_backup_mcck_info memory corruption

| CVSS Meta Temp Score | Current Exploit Price (≈) | CTI Interest Score |
|---|---|---|
| 9.5 | $5k-$25k | 0.45 |
Summary
A vulnerability, which was classified as very critical, has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.18.50/7.2.4. The affected element is the function s390_backup_mcck_info of the component KVM. This manipulation causes memory corruption.
This vulnerability appears as CVE-2026-89920. The attack may be initiated remotely. There is no available exploit.
It is advisable to upgrade the affected component.
Details
A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.18.50/7.2.4. It has been declared as very critical. Affected by this vulnerability is the function s390_backup_mcck_info of the component KVM. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a memory corruption vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-119. The product performs operations on a memory buffer, but it can read from or write to a memory location that is outside of the intended boundary of the buffer. As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: s390: Fix memory corruption by not reinjecting CK machine checks Channel-subsystem damage machine checks are for the host channel subsystem. The guest channel subsystem is emulated in the userspace VMM. There is no point in forwarding such machine checks into the guest. This also simplifies the machine check reinjection and avoids kfree of a stack variable as reported by sashiko. There might be still machine checks that have the ck bit set with another bit (like instruction damage), mask out the CK bit in s390_backup_mcck_info(), like the CP and ED bits already are.
It is possible to read the advisory at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2026-89920 since 09/11/2026. The exploitation appears to be easy. The attack can be launched remotely. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $5k-$25k at the moment (estimation calculated on 09/16/2026).
Upgrading to version 6.18.51, 7.2.5 or 7.3-rc1 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 6ee52d3af2a1bf70349cf3f860933c8d221e229a/7077ec953996acc04b49d1dfc43df1c1a2a74395/546dde823a36d7283dcf46127c2f3d093443860f is able to eliminate this problem. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Product
Type
Vendor
Name
Version
- 6.18.0
- 6.18.1
- 6.18.2
- 6.18.3
- 6.18.4
- 6.18.5
- 6.18.6
- 6.18.7
- 6.18.8
- 6.18.9
- 6.18.10
- 6.18.11
- 6.18.12
- 6.18.13
- 6.18.14
- 6.18.15
- 6.18.16
- 6.18.17
- 6.18.18
- 6.18.19
- 6.18.20
- 6.18.21
- 6.18.22
- 6.18.23
- 6.18.24
- 6.18.25
- 6.18.26
- 6.18.27
- 6.18.28
- 6.18.29
- 6.18.30
- 6.18.31
- 6.18.32
- 6.18.33
- 6.18.34
- 6.18.35
- 6.18.36
- 6.18.37
- 6.18.38
- 6.18.39
- 6.18.40
- 6.18.41
- 6.18.42
- 6.18.43
- 6.18.44
- 6.18.45
- 6.18.46
- 6.18.47
- 6.18.48
- 6.18.49
- 6.18.50
- 7.2.0
- 7.2.1
- 7.2.2
- 7.2.3
- 7.2.4
License
Website
- Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/
CPE 2.3
CPE 2.2
CVSSv4
VulDB Vector: 🔒VulDB Reliability: 🔍
CVSSv3
VulDB Meta Base Score: 9.9VulDB Meta Temp Score: 9.5
VulDB Base Score: 9.9
VulDB Temp Score: 9.5
VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍
CVSSv2
| AV | AC | Au | C | I | A |
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| 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 |
| 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 |
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| Vector | Complexity | Authentication | Confidentiality | Integrity | Availability |
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VulDB Base Score: 🔒
VulDB Temp Score: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍
Exploiting
Class: Memory corruptionCWE: CWE-119
CAPEC: 🔒
ATT&CK: 🔒
Physical: No
Local: No
Remote: Yes
Availability: 🔒
Status: Not defined
Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔒
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Threat Intelligence
Interest: 🔍Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍
Countermeasures
Recommended: UpgradeStatus: 🔍
0-Day Time: 🔒
Upgrade: Kernel 6.18.51/7.2.5/7.3-rc1
Patch: 6ee52d3af2a1bf70349cf3f860933c8d221e229a/7077ec953996acc04b49d1dfc43df1c1a2a74395/546dde823a36d7283dcf46127c2f3d093443860f
Timeline
09/11/2026 CVE reserved09/16/2026 Advisory disclosed
09/16/2026 VulDB entry created
09/16/2026 VulDB entry last update
Sources
Vendor: kernel.orgAdvisory: git.kernel.org
Status: Confirmed
CVE: CVE-2026-89920 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2026-89920
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-405763
Entry
Created: 09/16/2026 14:42Changes: 09/16/2026 14:42 (59)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
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