CVE-2026-98440

What the bug is

We free the shadow S2 structures from kvm_arch_flush_shadow_all(), which is a Bad Idea(tm). Freeing the page tables is fair game (this is what this callback is for), but freeing the container that could still be referenced by another part of the system is not great. Instead, grow separate destructors that gets called when we tear the VM down for good. From there, we can nuke both the individual MMUs as well as the global array that points to them, safe in the knowledge that the vcpus themselves have been destroyed already.

Where it lives

The fix touches these files. If the subsystem is one you do not use, the practical exposure is lower, though the package is still the vulnerable one.

arch/arm64/include/asm/kvm_nested.h
arch/arm64/kvm/arm.c
arch/arm64/kvm/nested.c

What this is

KERNEL VIRTUAL MACHINE FOR ARM64 (KVM/arm64)MAINTAINERS section matched on arch/arm64/include/asm/kvm* · linux-arm-kernel@lists.infradead.org · Maintained

Kernel module

kvm

Check it on the machine

grep -w CONFIG_KVM /boot/config-$(uname -r)

Reads the booted kernel's own configuration, on the machine and nowhere else. =y is built in, =m is a module, and an is not set line means the code is not there.

lsmod | grep -w kvm

Prints a line if that module is loaded right now, and nothing if it is not. One that is not loaded can still be loaded later by anything that needs it.

Show whether Debian builds this, per release

Debian builds this, but not on every flavour. At least one release below builds the code on some of its kernel flavours and not on others, so the answer depends on the architecture and flavour installed.

• bookwormBnot built on arm64/rt/arm64, armhf/armmp, armhf/armmp-lpae, armhf/rt/armmp
• trixieBnot built on armel/rpi, armhf/armmp, armhf/armmp-lpae, armhf/rt/armmp
• forky, sidBnot built on armhf/armmp, armhf/armmp-lpae

B

built in on some, a module on others, absent on the rest

Build switch

CONFIG_KVM

From the configuration Debian publishes for every kernel flavour it builds. It covers only the architectures Debian ships a linux-config package for, and nothing about a kernel you built yourself. Debian's own status above stays authoritative about the source package.MAINTAINERS kbuild Makefiles Debian linux-config packages

Signals

Published

2026-10-18 (today)source

CVSS

no vector published, unrated

Attack vector

not published

EPSS

not scored

CISA KEV

not listedthe KEV catalogue

Debian urgency

unimportantsource

Subsystem

arch/arm64

Upstream fixes

The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source

Introduced	Fixed in	Commit
6.11	6.12.113	876049f026b4
6.11	6.18.56	22e82acec93a
6.11	7.2.9	5bf1c9175e65
6.11	7.3	e5843f4effaa