CVE-2026-74439: iommu/vt-d: Clear Present bit before tearing down scalable-mode context entry
- Is it exploited?
Not on CISA's list. CISA has not added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as of . If CISA adds it, this page shows it as known exploited.
- How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?
- 0.2%
EPSS score, percentile 9.3 of all scored records. A probability estimated by FIRST, not a report of exploitation.
- How severe?
- 9.3 Critical
CVSS v3.1 base score, given by the CNA
- What should I do?
CISA has set no required action, because the vulnerability is not in KEV.
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
- Which versions are affected?
Affected
- from 6.8.2 to before 6.9
- 6.9
Unaffected before 6.9; 6.12.97; 6.18.40; 7.1.5; 7.2
Source: CISA KEV 2026.10.29, as of ; FIRST EPSS, as of ; CVE List, as of . About the data.
What to do
Advisories and patches
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
This summary is based on the CVE record as of . Check the vendor's advisory before you act: affected versions and fixes can change.
Affected products and versions
As listed in the CVE record.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | from 81e921fd3216 to before e9e83bcfe37d |
| Affected | from 81e921fd3216 to before 588718101e84 |
| Affected | from 81e921fd3216 to before 7fd4077dc92b |
| Affected | from 81e921fd3216 to before f46452c3df7a |
| Affected | 333fe8696848 |
| Affected | from 6.8.2 to before 6.9 |
Versions not listed are: unaffected.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | 6.9 |
| Unaffected | before 6.9 |
| Unaffected | 6.12.97 |
| Unaffected | 6.18.40 |
| Unaffected | 7.1.5 |
| Unaffected | 7.2 |
Versions not listed are: affected.
Versions the record lists as unaffected: 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2.
Source: CVE List, as of . About the data.
About this vulnerability
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iommu/vt-d: Clear Present bit before tearing down scalable-mode context entry device_pasid_table_teardown() zeroes the 128-bit scalable-mode context entry with context_clear_entry() while the Present bit is still set. This creates a window where the hardware can fetch a torn entry, with some fields already zeroed while Present…
Summary: CVE record, as of .
- CISA has not added CVE-2026-74439 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, as of 29 Oct 2026.
- The CVE record was published on 15 Aug 2026.
- The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.3 (Critical), given by its CNA.
- FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.2% (percentile 9.3), as of 29 Oct 2026. EPSS is a statistical estimate, not a report of exploitation.
- CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact total.
Source: CISA KEV 2026.10.29, as of ; CVE List, as of ; FIRST EPSS, as of . About the data.
Description
iommu/vt-d: Clear Present bit before tearing down scalable-mode context entry
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iommu/vt-d: Clear Present bit before tearing down scalable-mode context entry device_pasid_table_teardown() zeroes the 128-bit scalable-mode context entry with context_clear_entry() while the Present bit is still set. This creates a window where the hardware can fetch a torn entry, with some fields already zeroed while Present is still set, leading to unpredictable behavior or spurious faults. The context-cache invalidation is issued only after the entry has been zeroed, and intel_pasid_free_table() then frees the PASID directory pages, so the IOMMU can keep walking a stale Present=1 entry that points at freed memory. While x86 provides strong write ordering, the compiler may reorder the two 64-bit writes to the entry, and the hardware fetch is not guaranteed to be atomic with respect to multiple CPU writes. Commit c1e4f1dccbe9d ("iommu/vt-d: Clear Present bit before tearing down context entry") fixed this exact pattern in domain_context_clear_one() and the copied-context path, but device_pasid_table_teardown() was not converted. Align it with the "Guidance to Software for Invalidations" in the VT-d spec, Section 6.5.3.3, using the same ownership handshake as the sibling fix: clear only the Present bit, flush it to the IOMMU, perform the context-cache invalidation, and only then zero the rest of the entry.
Source: CVE List, as of . About the data.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| CVE record published | |
| CVE record last updated |
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