Vulnerability in Linux kernel (CVE-2026-89966)
Summary
Vulnerability in Linux kernel (CVE-2026-89966). Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure.
Original description
The description as published by the source.
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
mm/hugetlb_cma: fix null nodemask dereference in hugetlb_cma_alloc_frozen_folio
alloc_buddy_hugetlb_folio_with_mpol() can pass a NULL nodemask to
alloc_fresh_hugetlb_folio() as a fallback to allocate from all nodes. If
order is gigantic, alloc_fresh_hugetlb_folio() propagates the NULL
nodemask down to hugetlb_cma_alloc_frozen_folio() via
alloc_gigantic_frozen_folio().
Additionally, hugetlb_cma_alloc_frozen_folio() previously attempted
allocation on hugetlb_cma[nid] without verifying if nid is included in the
caller's nodemask. Adding a node_isset(nid, *nodemask) check ensures the
initial preferred node allocation honors the memory policy / nodemask.
However, hugetlb_cma_alloc_frozen_folio() dereferences the nodemask in
node_isset(nid, *nodemask) and for_each_node_mask(node, *nodemask),
leading to a null pointer dereference kernel panic when nodemask is NULL.
Fix this by checking if nodemask is NULL in
hugetlb_cma_alloc_frozen_folio() and defaulting it to
cpuset_current_mems_allowed. Enclose the allocation attempts within the
cpuset seqcount retry loop so that if the cpuset changes concurrently
during allocation, the attempts are retried using the updated nodemask.
This ensures that the initial node check and fallback loop safely honor
the task's cpuset without violating cpuset constraints or causing NULL
pointer dereferences or unexpected allocation failures.
From a userspace perspective, this bug a…
Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database NVD GitHub Advisory
Auto-generated summary
Assembled by SecPulse from the source data (CVSS, CWE, affected versions) using templates — no AI involved. Check the original description and references below for exact details.
A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-89966 has been found in Linux kernel.
Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure.
What to do: apply the vendor's official patched release.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "Linux kernel CVE-2026-89966" on the vendor's site.
CVE-2026-89966 (Linux kernel)
Plan: 1) Audit SBOM/dependencies, 2) Stage→prod upgrade, 3) Add WAF/proxy monitoring on affected endpoints, 4) Hunt IOCs in logs.
Refs: see the GHSA / vendor advisory / patched release linked on this page.
A vulnerability (unclassified) exists in Linux kernel.
Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of Linux kernel.
Severity: ?. Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure.
Update to the patched release per vendor advisory.
Until the patch is applied: disable the affected feature, apply WAF rules, or restrict access via network ACLs.
Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual request patterns matching this CVE's known IOCs. Audit SBOM/dependencies to find affected services.
Response actions
Concrete steps and command examples for SOC/SRE teams to execute in order
-
1Identify exposure identify
Audit SBOM/dependencies for affected components.資産台帳・SBOM・依存マニフェストで Linux kernel を使っているサービスとバージョンを洗い出す。
-
2Post-deployment verification verify
Confirm patched version is live in productionパッチ適用後、ステージングで PoC または同等の悪用パターンを再現して脆弱性が閉じたことを確認。本番ではアクセスログ・WAF でアラート再発が無いか継続監視。
Fix status by distribution
Fixed packages published by each distribution for this CVE
- Debian DEBIAN-CVE-2026-89966 linux Fixed in: 7.2.6-1
- Ubuntu UBUNTU-CVE-2026-89966 linux-hwe-edge
References
- web git.kernel.org
- web git.kernel.org
- web nvd.nist.gov
- web github.com