Linux Kernel up to 6.18.51/7.2.5 virtio_pmem virtio_pmem_host_ack use after free

| CVSS Meta Temp Score | Current Exploit Price (≈) | CTI Interest Score |
|---|---|---|
| 9.5 | $5k-$25k | 0.39 |
Summary
A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.18.51/7.2.5 and classified as very critical. Affected by this issue is the function virtio_pmem_host_ack of the component virtio_pmem. The manipulation results in use after free.
This vulnerability is identified as CVE-2026-93196. The attack can be executed remotely. There is not any exploit available.
It is suggested to upgrade the affected component.
Details
A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.18.51/7.2.5. It has been classified as very critical. Affected is the function virtio_pmem_host_ack of the component virtio_pmem. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a use after free vulnerability. CWE is classifying the issue as CWE-416. Referencing memory after it has been freed can cause a program to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code. This is going to have an impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. CVE summarizes:
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nvdimm: virtio_pmem: refcount requests for token lifetime KASAN reports slab-use-after-free in __wake_up_common(): BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __wake_up_common+0x114/0x160 Read of size 8 at addr ffff88810fdcb710 by task swapper/0/0 CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/0 Not tainted 6.19.0-next-20260220-00006-g1eae5f204ec3 #4 PREEMPT(full) Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS Arch Linux 1.17.0-2-2 04/01/2014 Call Trace: <IRQ> dump_stack_lvl+0x6d/0xb0 print_report+0x170/0x4e2 ? __pfx__raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x10/0x10 ? __virt_addr_valid+0x1dc/0x380 kasan_report+0xbc/0xf0 ? __wake_up_common+0x114/0x160 ? __wake_up_common+0x114/0x160 __wake_up_common+0x114/0x160 ? __pfx__raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x10/0x10 __wake_up+0x36/0x60 virtio_pmem_host_ack+0x11d/0x3b0 ? sched_balance_domains+0x29f/0xb00 ? __pfx_virtio_pmem_host_ack+0x10/0x10 ? _raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x98/0x100 ? __pfx__raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x10/0x10 vring_interrupt+0x1c9/0x5e0 ? __pfx_vp_interrupt+0x10/0x10 vp_vring_interrupt+0x87/0x100 ? __pfx_vp_interrupt+0x10/0x10 __handle_irq_event_percpu+0x17f/0x550 ? __pfx__raw_spin_lock+0x10/0x10 handle_irq_event+0xab/0x1c0 handle_fasteoi_irq+0x276/0xae0 __common_interrupt+0x65/0x130 common_interrupt+0x78/0xa0 </IRQ> virtio_pmem_host_ack() wakes a request that has already been freed by the submitter. This happens when the request token is still reachable via the virtqueue, but virtio_pmem_flush() returns and frees it. Fix the token lifetime by refcounting struct virtio_pmem_request. virtio_pmem_flush() holds a submitter reference, and the virtqueue holds an extra reference once the request is queued. The completion path drops the virtqueue reference, and the submitter drops its reference before returning.
The advisory is available at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is traded as CVE-2026-93196 since 09/17/2026. The exploitability is told to be easy. It is possible to launch the attack remotely. Technical details are known, but there is no available exploit. The structure of the vulnerability defines a possible price range of USD $5k-$25k at the moment (estimation calculated on 09/17/2026).
Upgrading to version 6.18.52, 7.2.6 or 7.3-rc1 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch be072a5d5e35f4bdf2da22f600b5d6dc6c5ff491/b1e740b9156621afd4c4aa66257f4dde8df1febe/e57140944b5a47a7fd5a142faab29a02af040bc8 is able to eliminate this problem. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.
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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
- 6.18.51
- 7.2.0
- 7.2.1
- 7.2.2
- 7.2.3
- 7.2.4
- 7.2.5
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 |
| 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 |
| 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 |
| Vector | Complexity | Authentication | Confidentiality | Integrity | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
| Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
| Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
VulDB Base Score: 🔒
VulDB Temp Score: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍
Exploiting
Class: Use after freeCWE: CWE-416 / CWE-119
CAPEC: 🔒
ATT&CK: 🔒
Physical: No
Local: No
Remote: Yes
Availability: 🔒
Status: Not defined
Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔒
| 0-Day | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
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| Today | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
Threat Intelligence
Interest: 🔍Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍
Countermeasures
Recommended: UpgradeStatus: 🔍
0-Day Time: 🔒
Upgrade: Kernel 6.18.52/7.2.6/7.3-rc1
Patch: be072a5d5e35f4bdf2da22f600b5d6dc6c5ff491/b1e740b9156621afd4c4aa66257f4dde8df1febe/e57140944b5a47a7fd5a142faab29a02af040bc8
Timeline
09/17/2026 Advisory disclosed09/17/2026 CVE reserved
09/17/2026 VulDB entry created
09/17/2026 VulDB entry last update
Sources
Vendor: kernel.orgAdvisory: git.kernel.org
Status: Confirmed
CVE: CVE-2026-93196 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2026-93196
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-407166
Entry
Created: 09/17/2026 23:32Changes: 09/17/2026 23:32 (59)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103
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