Linux Kernel up to 7.2.9/7.3-rc5 KVM SVM unusual condition

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability identified as very critical has been detected in Linux Kernel up to 7.2.9/7.3-rc5. Affected by this issue is some unknown functionality of the component KVM SVM. Performing a manipulation results in unusual condition. This vulnerability was named CVE-2026-98714. The attack may be initiated remotely. There is no available exploit. You should upgrade the affected component.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability classified as very critical has been found in Linux Kernel up to 7.2.9/7.3-rc5. This affects some unknown functionality of the component KVM SVM. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a unusual condition vulnerability. CWE is classifying the issue as CWE-754. The product does not check or incorrectly checks for unusual or exceptional conditions that are not expected to occur frequently during day to day operation of the product. This is going to have an impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: SVM: Update control fields on #VMEXIT if and only if VMRUN succeeded Leave control.erap_ctl and control.clean as-is in the VMCS if VMRUN fails, because as per AMD: there's no explicit architectural guarantee about the behavior in the presence of VMRUN failures. So the best thing to do would be to assume that if VMRUN fails, the actions requested in the control fields may not have been performed.

It is possible to read the advisory at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2026-98714 since 09/25/2026. The exploitability is told to be easy. It is possible to initiate the attack remotely. The technical details are unknown and an exploit is not publicly available. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $5k-$25k at the moment (estimation calculated on 10/18/2026).

Upgrading to version 7.2.10 or 7.3-rc6 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 8676b29d186fcb5c1251d8152fc91d19421e5600/e27fc915c8f575ab5630e27d97465c2077d4b9d1 is able to eliminate this problem. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

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Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 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

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

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