CVE-2026-98156

High

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/virtio: use the DMA API for resource backing on Xen On a Xen PV domain page addresses bear no relation to the real machine addresses the host would have to use to reach it. virtio_ring.c handles this correctly, vring_use_map_api() returns true for any xen_domain() regardless of VIRTIO_F_ACCESS_PLATFORM. virtio-gpu makes the same decision independently, but its copy looks only at the feature bit: bool use_dma_api = !virtio_has_dma_quirk(vgdev->vdev); QEMU does not set iommu_platform on virtio-vga by default, so VIRTIO_F_ACCESS_PLATFORM is not negotiated, use_dma_api is false, and virtio_gpu_object_shmem_init() describes the framebuffer's backing pages to the host with sg_phys(). Those are guest-physical addresses. In a PV domain they resolve, on the host side, to pages belonging to some other domain, so the host scans out unrelated memory. Move the decision into virtio_gpu_use_dma_api() and give it the xen_domain() check, like vring_use_map_api() has. This additionally enables the dma_sync_sgtable_for_device() calls in virtgpu_vq.c, which are required for correctness whenever swiotlb is in play. Reproduced with a Xen 4.21 PV dom0 nested inside QEMU 8.2 with virtio-vga, on both a distro 6.8 kernel and 6.18 LTS. A PVH dom0 works fine and doesn't need this fix because it is identity-mapped, only PV dom0s are affected.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-09-25
Last modified 2026-09-30
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

7.8

out of 10
High
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 4.20 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.18.53, 7.2.7, 7.3-rc2 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 4.20
Fixed in
✓ 6.18.53 6.18.x ✓ 7.2.7 7.2.x ✓ 7.3-rc2

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-98156?

    CVE-2026-98156 is a High severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.20 onward and has been patched in 6.18.53, 7.2.7 and 7.3-rc2. CVE-2026-98156 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-98156?

    CVE-2026-98156 has a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10, rated High severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-98156?

    Yes. CVE-2026-98156 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.18.53, 7.2.7 and 7.3-rc2. If you are running Linux kernel 4.20 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-98156 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-98156 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.