Linux Kernel up to 6.12.112/6.18.55/7.2.9/7.3-rc5 KVM SVM permission

| CVSS Meta Temp Score | Current Exploit Price (≈) | CTI Interest Score |
|---|---|---|
| 9.5 | $5k-$25k | 0.46- |
Summary
A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.12.112/6.18.55/7.2.9/7.3-rc5. It has been declared as very critical. This vulnerability affects unknown code of the component KVM SVM. Such manipulation leads to permission. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2026-98716. The attack can be launched remotely. No exploit exists. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component.
Details
A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.12.112/6.18.55/7.2.9/7.3-rc5 and classified as very critical. Affected by this issue is some unknown processing of the component KVM SVM. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a permission vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-275. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. CVE summarizes:
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: SVM: Use the active VMCB's MSR bitmap when checking if MSR is intercepted Use the MSR permission bitmap of the active VMCB instead of assuming that KVM is always using vmcb02's bitmap when L2 is active, as KVM uses msrpm02 if and only if L1 wants to intercept MSR accesses, i.e. if and only if KVM needs to merge msprm01 with msrpm12. Don't bother tracking the virtual address of the bitmap that's being used, as __va() is cheap on x86, and caching the virtual address would introduce yet another source of potentially stale information.
The advisory is shared for download at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is handled as CVE-2026-98716 since 09/25/2026. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be launched remotely. There are neither technical details nor an exploit publicly available. The current price for an exploit might be approx. USD $5k-$25k (estimation calculated on 10/18/2026). The MITRE ATT&CK project declares the attack technique as T1222.
Upgrading to version 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10 or 7.3-rc6 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 74836ae4785b9754bb36d0b18fcc1dec4e5e98d2/318ef696fa3c712e46bb62a1a828c3cd62f390c3/55865b3ae03705aa39198783b9cb1f8b96eb44e4/9e06bbb9ade7cdf28d4a3b5b14e5812881c8df85 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
- 6.12.112
- 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
- 6.18.52
- 6.18.53
- 6.18.54
- 6.18.55
- 7.2.0
- 7.2.1
- 7.2.2
- 7.2.3
- 7.2.4
- 7.2.5
- 7.2.6
- 7.2.7
- 7.2.8
- 7.2.9
- 7.3-rc1
- 7.3-rc2
- 7.3-rc3
- 7.3-rc4
- 7.3-rc5
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: PermissionCWE: CWE-275 / CWE-266
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 6.12.113/6.18.56/7.2.10/7.3-rc6
Patch: 74836ae4785b9754bb36d0b18fcc1dec4e5e98d2/318ef696fa3c712e46bb62a1a828c3cd62f390c3/55865b3ae03705aa39198783b9cb1f8b96eb44e4/9e06bbb9ade7cdf28d4a3b5b14e5812881c8df85
Timeline
09/25/2026 CVE reserved10/18/2026 Advisory disclosed
10/18/2026 VulDB entry created
10/18/2026 VulDB entry last update
Sources
Vendor: kernel.orgAdvisory: git.kernel.org
Status: Confirmed
CVE: CVE-2026-98716 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2026-98716
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-421952
Entry
Created: 10/18/2026 19:28Changes: 10/18/2026 19:28 (58)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103
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