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Linux Kernel EUVDEUVD-2026-81810

| CVE-2026-90217 HIGH
2026-09-17 Linux GHSA-xq4r-6342-2fvw
7.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: Linux
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Local user gains BPF load capability
  2. Delivery
    Craft BPF program with mismatched STACK_ITER slot states
  3. Exploit
    Verifier prunes unsafe path as equivalent
  4. Execution
    Untrusted pointer treated as trusted at runtime
  5. Persist
    Arbitrary kernel read/write
  6. Impact
    Escalate to root

Vulnerability Assessment

Exploitation Conditions

Requires local access and the capability to load eBPF programs into the kernel - normally CAP_BPF or CAP_SYS_ADMIN, or a system configured to permit unprivileged BPF (kernel.unprivileged_bpf_disabled=0). The kernel must be built with BPF support and fall within the affected version range (introduced ~6.7, fixed in 7.2.6/7.3-rc1). No user interaction or network access is needed (UI:N, AV:L), and the trigger is a deterministic verifier logic flaw rather than a race, so complexity is low; the primary limiting factor is the BPF-load privilege requirement, which on hardened/default modern configurations is restricted to privileged principals.

Impact

This is a Linux kernel eBPF verifier soundness bug: during state pruning the verifier failed to compare the pointer type of STACK_ITER (iterator) stack slots, treating a MEM_RCU slot as equivalent to a PTR_UNTRUSTED slot. That lets the verifier prune a genuinely unsafe execution path, so a crafted BPF program can smuggle an untrusted pointer past verification - the classic precursor to arbitrary kernel memory read/write and local privilege escalation, which justifies the vendor's C:H/I:H/A:H. The CVSS vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N) is internally consistent with a deterministic (not race-based) logic flaw reachable by a local principal able to load BPF programs. Weighing all signals: no EPSS score, no CISA KEV entry, and no public POC are supplied, so there is no evidence of active or automated exploitation. SSVC inputs (exploitation status, automatable) are not provided. Net: a high-CVSS bug with real LPE potential and a reliable (non-race) trigger, but current real-world urgency is tempered by the absence of any exploitation or POC signal and by the gating requirement of BPF-load capability. Note the 'Information Disclosure' tag understates the flaw - a verifier bug of this class enables integrity/availability impact (memory corruption), not merely disclosure.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A local user with the ability to load eBPF programs (typically CAP_BPF/CAP_SYS_ADMIN, or via unprivileged BPF where enabled) writes a program that exploits two iterator states the verifier now wrongly considers equal, causing an unsafe branch to be pruned and accepted. The verified program then dereferences an untrusted pointer as if trusted, giving controlled kernel memory access that can be escalated to root. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis, and exploitation is local with low complexity but requires BPF-load privileges.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 18, 2026

The Linux kernel eBPF verifier fails to compare the pointer type of STACK_ITER (iterator) stack slots during state pruning, so it can treat a MEM_RCU iterator slot as equivalent to a PTR_UNTRUSTED slot and prune a path that should have been rejected, allowing an unsafe BPF program to be loaded. Affected systems run Linux 6.7 through the unfixed range, with fixes landing in 7.2.6 and 7.3-rc1; the flaw requires local access plus the ability to load eBPF programs (CAP_BPF/CAP_SYS_ADMIN, or a kernel with unprivileged BPF enabled), which is why it scores CVSS 3.1 7.8 (AV:L/PR:L) with high confidentiality and integrity impact. No public exploit code and no confirmed active exploitation were identified at time of analysis, but the verifier soundness nature of the bug makes it a meaningful local privilege-escalation/kernel-sandbox-escape primitive on hosts that permit BPF loading.

RemediationAI

Apply the vendor-released patch: upgrade to Linux 7.2.6 or Linux 7.3-rc1 (or later), or cherry-pick the upstream fixes 6424b9cde9edc7f2098115bbfd1ee3d84a958380 / 83608e303b95d07afba1c15da0b5d9e513c2f15a into affected stable trees (see https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6424b9cde9edc7f2098115bbfd1ee3d84a958380 and https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/83608e303b95d07afba1c15da0b5d9e513c2f15a); as this is a verifier logic bug there is no configuration toggle that neutralizes it within the affected kernel, so patching is the only complete fix. Where immediate upgrading is not possible, reduce exposure by denying BPF program loading: set kernel.unprivileged_bpf_disabled=1 (or =2 for a non-reversible setting until reboot) so only privileged processes can load programs, and confine CAP_BPF/CAP_SYS_ADMIN to the smallest possible set of processes and containers, accepting that this breaks legitimate unprivileged BPF tooling, observability agents, and container workloads that depend on unprivileged BPF. Additional compensating controls include blocking the bpf(2) syscall for untrusted workloads via seccomp, enforcing an LSM/BPF-LSM policy that restricts program loading, and treating any local process with BPF-load privileges as already kernel-privileged for threat-modeling purposes; these measurably shrink the attack surface but do not eliminate the flaw on hosts that must retain BPF loading, so schedule the kernel update as the primary action.

Affected VersionsENISA

Linux dfab99df147b0d364f0c199f832ff2aedfb2265a <6424b9cde9edc7f2098115bbfd1ee3d84a958380
Linux 6.7
Linux patch: 7.3-rc1
Linux patch: 7.2.6
Linux dfab99df147b0d364f0c199f832ff2aedfb2265a <83608e303b95d07afba1c15da0b5d9e513c2f15a
Linux patch: 0

Affected Packages

euvd linux no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

This is a soundness bug in the in-kernel eBPF verifier, the component that statically proves a loaded program is memory-safe before it is JIT-compiled and executed. When the verifier explores branching programs it maintains a state per instruction and performs 'state pruning': if a newly reached state is judged equivalent to one already verified, the verifier skips re-verification of that path. For stack slots holding iterator state (STACK_ITER), the slot can carry either MEM_RCU or PTR_UNTRUSTED semantics; these are fundamentally different trust levels, since MEM_RCU memory may be read but is subject to RCU lifetime rules while PTR_UNTRUSTED memory must not be dereferenced without checks. Because the pruning comparison did not include the pointer type for STACK_ITER slots, the verifier could conclude that an already-verified trusted state matched an unsafe state and prune away the checks that would have rejected the program, yielding unsound acceptance of unsafe BPF. The affected subsystem is the eBPF verifier in the Linux kernel (CPE cpe:2.3:a:linux:linux), the regression was introduced around Linux 6.7 and resolved by the upstream commits 6424b9cde9edc7f2098115bbfd1ee3d84a958380 and 83608e303b95d07afba1c15da0b5d9e513c2f15a, and no CWE was assigned in the source data although the root-cause class corresponds to an incorrect equivalence comparison of security-relevant state (CWE-697 family).

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Severity by source

Vendor (Linux) PRIMARY 7.8 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 7.8 HIGH

Local BPF-load privilege (PR:L), deterministic verifier logic bug not a race (AC:L); verifier bypass yields arbitrary kernel read/write, giving full C:H/I:H/A:H.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
SUSE HIGH
Red Hat 5.5 MEDIUM

Primary rating from Vendor (Linux).

CVSS VectorVendor: Linux

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

4
CVSS changed
Sep 18, 2026 - 18:22 NVD
7.8 (HIGH)
Patch available
Sep 17, 2026 - 17:19 EUVD
CVE Published
Sep 17, 2026 - 16:07 cve.org
HIGH 7.8
CVE Published
Sep 17, 2026 - 16:07 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)

DescriptionCVE.org

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

bpf: Compare iterator types during state pruning

An iterator stack slot can be MEM_RCU or PTR_UNTRUSTED. These states must not be equal, or the verifier can prune an unsafe path.

Compare the pointer type for STACK_ITER slots.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

CVE-2026-90217 is a high-severity Linux kernel eBPF verifier flaw affecting systems running Linux 6.7 through the unfixed range, where local low-privileged users with BPF loading capability could bypass kernel security boundaries and gain elevated privileges. Organizations running affected Linux kernels that permit eBPF program loading-especially those granting CAP_BPF/CAP_SYS_ADMIN or enabling unprivileged BPF-should treat this as a priority kernel boundary weakness. No public exploit has been identified, but successful exploitation could undermine host and workload isolation, making patch management and capability restriction urgent.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 91% exploitable
Prevalence
High
Linux kernel is ubiquitous, but affected window is recent (6.7 to <7.2.6) and BPF-gated
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Defer
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

39
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +39
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Important
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Not-Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Not-Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 Not-Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 Not-Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.0 Affected

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