CVE-2026-68178 (GCVE-0-2026-68178)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-08-10 11:59 – Updated: 2026-10-19 20:58
VLAI
Title
misc: nsm: pin the module while the device is open
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: misc: nsm: pin the module while the device is open misc_open() installs a misc driver's file operations with fops_get(), which pins file_operations::owner before replacing the file's f_op. The NSM misc device leaves nsm_dev_fops.owner unset, so opening /dev/nsm does not take a module reference on the nsm driver. If the driver is built as a module, an open file descriptor can therefore survive rmmod of the module that provides its ioctl callbacks. A later ioctl through that descriptor can call into unloaded module text. Set nsm_dev_fops.owner to THIS_MODULE so the misc core holds the module while any /dev/nsm file descriptor is open, matching the lifetime expectation for the installed file operations.
Severity
7.8 (High)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
SSVC
Exploitation: none Automatable: no Technical Impact: total
CISA Coordinator · CISA-ADP (v2.0.3)
Decision recorded 2026-10-16 15:45 UTC
CWE
Assigner
Linux CNA under the mitre root
CNA scorecard D 53/100 over 7033 records in the last 180 days details
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version CPE status
Linux Linux Affected: b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749 , < 1996639f824ce9468395cdb7bcb8f467fa787e77 (git)
Affected: b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749 , < 1da310b94504d42001e9c32c43c5dc105b777e5f (git)
Affected: b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749 , < 9e9a82d00c3d10129fc310a7547b24a679d5d920 (git)
Affected: b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749 , < 3b231f1e9990f4c21220d0a69733ce2105891ff9 (git)
guessed Create a notification for this product.
Linux Linux Affected: 6.8
Unaffected: 0 , < 6.8 (semver)
Unaffected: 6.12.101 , ≤ 6.12.* (semver)
Unaffected: 6.18.42 , ≤ 6.18.* (semver)
Unaffected: 7.1.6 , ≤ 7.1.* (semver)
Unaffected: 7.2 , ≤ * (original_commit_for_fix)
guessed Create a notification for this product.
Show details on NVD website
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                    {
                      "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                      "versionEndExcluding": "6.12.101",
                      "versionStartIncluding": "6.8",
                      "vulnerable": true
                    },
                    {
                      "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                      "versionEndExcluding": "6.18.42",
                      "versionStartIncluding": "6.8",
                      "vulnerable": true
                    },
                    {
                      "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                      "versionEndExcluding": "7.1.6",
                      "versionStartIncluding": "6.8",
                      "vulnerable": true
                    },
                    {
                      "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                      "versionEndExcluding": "7.2",
                      "versionStartIncluding": "6.8",
                      "vulnerable": true
                    }
                  ],
                  "negate": false,
                  "operator": "OR"
                }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "descriptions": [
            {
              "lang": "en",
              "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nmisc: nsm: pin the module while the device is open\n\nmisc_open() installs a misc driver\u0027s file operations with fops_get(),\nwhich pins file_operations::owner before replacing the file\u0027s f_op.  The\nNSM misc device leaves nsm_dev_fops.owner unset, so opening /dev/nsm does\nnot take a module reference on the nsm driver.\n\nIf the driver is built as a module, an open file descriptor can therefore\nsurvive rmmod of the module that provides its ioctl callbacks.  A later\nioctl through that descriptor can call into unloaded module text.\n\nSet nsm_dev_fops.owner to THIS_MODULE so the misc core holds the module\nwhile any /dev/nsm file descriptor is open, matching the lifetime\nexpectation for the installed file operations."
            }
          ],
          "metrics": [
            {
              "cvssV3_1": {
                "baseScore": 7.8,
                "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
                "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
                "version": "3.1"
              },
              "scenarios": [
                {
                  "lang": "en",
                  "value": "AV:L - The bug is reached only via local open()/ioctl syscalls on /dev/nsm (misc_open through vfs_ioctl to nsm_dev_ioctl); the Nitro Secure Module virtio driver has no network, adjacent-wireless, or physical attack surface.\nAC:L - When CONFIG_NSM=m the attacker controls the full sequence: open /dev/nsm to install fops, delete_module(\"nsm\") while fops_get(NULL) leaves the module unpinned, then ioctl on the stale fd to call unloaded text without races or external timing.\nPR:L - /dev/nsm is registered mode 0666 with no capable() checks in nsm_dev_ioctl, so any local process can open and ioctl; unloading the module needs CAP_SYS_MODULE, treated as low-privilege local capability per similar module-lifetime UAF scoring on permissive/user-namespace kernels.\nUI:N - The attacker performs open, module removal, and stale-fd ioctl from their own process; no separate victim must mount a filesystem, click a link, or take any action beyond the attacker\u0027s own operations.\nS:U - The use-after-free corrupts guest kernel memory and executes in kernel context within the Nitro Enclave; impact does not cross hypervisor, parent-instance, VM, or IOMMU security boundaries.\nC:H - Stale ioctl calls into freed module text and file_to_nsm() dereferences freed devm nsm state, exposing reclaimed kernel/module memory and adjacent virtio message buffers through the UAF window.\nI:H - Dispatching nsm_dev_ioctl through freed vmalloc module text is a kernel use-after-free that can be shaped with heap spraying to hijack control flow and achieve arbitrary kernel code execution.\nA:H - Executing code from an unloaded module or dereferencing freed nsm/virtqueue state on ioctl reliably causes kernel oops or panic, and the attacker can repeat the stale-fd ioctl to deny service."
                }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "providerMetadata": {
            "dateUpdated": "2026-08-17T05:00:19.564Z",
            "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
            "shortName": "Linux"
          },
          "references": [
            {
              "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1996639f824ce9468395cdb7bcb8f467fa787e77"
            },
            {
              "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1da310b94504d42001e9c32c43c5dc105b777e5f"
            },
            {
              "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9e9a82d00c3d10129fc310a7547b24a679d5d920"
            },
            {
              "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3b231f1e9990f4c21220d0a69733ce2105891ff9"
            }
          ],
          "title": "misc: nsm: pin the module while the device is open",
          "x_generator": {
            "engine": "bippy-1.2.0"
          }
        }
      },
      "cveMetadata": {
        "assignerOrgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "assignerShortName": "Linux",
        "cveId": "CVE-2026-68178",
        "datePublished": "2026-08-10T11:59:49.344Z",
        "dateReserved": "2026-07-30T09:28:09.373Z",
        "dateUpdated": "2026-10-19T20:58:55.830Z",
        "state": "PUBLISHED"
      },
      "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
      "dataVersion": "5.2"
    }
  }
}



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Sightings

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Nomenclature

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