Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessObtain local device-management access
-
DeliveryTrigger IOMMU domain/PASID teardown for aliased device
-
ExploitAlias context entry cleared but not invalidated
-
ExecutionIOMMU uses stale cached entry
-
PersistWalk freed PASID directory
-
ImpactKernel memory corruption / crash
Vulnerability Assessment
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires an Intel VT-d IOMMU operating in scalable mode (PASID tables) on hardware where the affected PCI device presents one or more DMA aliases (the flaw only manifests for aliases whose requester ID differs from the device's own RID). Exploitation is reached only through the teardown path - domain_context_clear_one() or device_pasid_table_teardown() - which is invoked when an IOMMU domain is destroyed or a device is unbound/detached (e.g., driver unbind, VFIO detach, hot-remove). Limiting factors: local access only (AV:L), the operation requires privileges to manage/detach devices (effectively CAP_SYS_ADMIN), no remote or unauthenticated path exists, and the vulnerable configuration is confined to Intel IOMMU scalable-mode deployments with aliasing devices on kernels 6.11 through the fixed stable releases. |
| Impact | The vendor CVSS of 8.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H) overstates real-world risk for what is fundamentally a device-teardown memory-safety bug in the Intel VT-d IOMMU driver, not a data-exfiltration primitive. The tag 'Information Disclosure' is a mislabel: the actual defect is that a just-cleared context-cache entry for a DMA alias is never invalidated, so in scalable mode intel_pasid_free_table() can free a PASID directory still referenced by a stale cached entry, letting the IOMMU walk freed memory - this is a use-after-free / DMA-into-freed-memory condition (CWE-416/824) whose primary outcome is memory corruption and system crash, with only speculative confidentiality/integrity exposure via stale DMA translations. EPSS, KEV, and public POC signals are all ABSENT, consistent with a stable-tree kernel fix that reached the public via git.kernel.org commits with no observed exploitation. The attack vector is correctly local, but PR:L is optimistic: reaching the teardown path requires triggering IOMMU domain/PASID-table teardown (device unbind, VFIO detach, or hot-remove), which in practice needs device-management privileges (CAP_SYS_ADMIN). No SSVC or automatable data was provided. Net: a real but low-to-moderate-priority local kernel hardening fix, not a widely-exploitable network threat despite the 8.8 headline. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A local user with device-management privileges triggers teardown of an IOMMU domain for a PCI device that exposes DMA aliases (e.g., unbinding a device or detaching it from VFIO). Because the alias context-cache entries are flushed with the wrong requester ID, hardware keeps a stale context entry pointing at a freed PASID directory, and subsequent DMA causes the IOMMU to walk freed kernel memory, corrupting state or crashing the host. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 18, 2026
Use-after-free in the Intel VT-d IOMMU teardown path of the Linux kernel (6.11 and later, including stable branches before 6.18.52/7.2.6/7.3-rc1) leaves a cleared DMA-alias context entry cached when domain_context_clear_one() or device_pasid_table_teardown() flushes using the device's own requester ID instead of the alias SID. A local actor able to destroy IOMMU domains or unbind/detach devices (assessed PR:H, effectively CAP_SYS_ADMIN) can cause the IOMMU to walk freed PASID-directory memory, giving likely memory-corruption and availability impact within a confined, privilege-gated teardown scenario. No public exploit code or confirmed active exploitation was identified at time of analysis; the vendor CVSS 8.8 overstates risk, and the assessed vector is AV:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U with low confidentiality/integrity and high availability impact.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: upgrade to Linux 6.18.52, 7.2.6, or 7.3-rc1 (or a later stable release containing the relevant fixes). The upstream fixes are the stable commits a803141597d61dc0511f7cd849625e17d042ca8a, 5baddf100b3be730912485648cbaae5e3a251923, and c54e4ae971b98e8d650400137d332cee56c03f55; see https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a803141597d61dc0511f7cd849625e17d042ca8a and the NVD entry https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-90240. If patching must be delayed, restrict the ability to destroy IOMMU domains or unbind/detach PCI devices to trusted administrators with CAP_SYS_ADMIN, because the bug only triggers through the teardown path; this reduces ordinary hot-unplug and VFIO detach flexibility. Disabling Intel VT-d scalable mode (for example intel_iommu=sm_off) can avoid the scalable-mode PASID teardown path on affected kernels, but it disables PASID/SVA features and may break device assignment and shared virtual addressing. Disabling VT-d entirely (intel_iommu=off) removes an important isolation layer and is not recommended unless no untrusted device assignment is in use.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
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
The flaw is in the Linux kernel's iommu/vt-d driver for Intel VT-d in scalable mode (PASID tables). domain_context_clear_one() and device_pasid_table_teardown() are invoked once per DMA alias via pci_for_each_dma_alias(); each locates the context entry using the callback's bus/devfn pair but then calls intel_context_flush_no_pasid() using info->bus and info->devfn, which is always the device's own requester ID rather than the alias source ID. For any alias whose RID differs from the device's own RID, the context-cache invalidation targets the wrong SID, so hardware can keep using a stale cached entry after the in-memory entry has been cleared. In the scalable-mode teardown path, intel_pasid_free_table() can then free a PASID directory still referenced by that stale entry, allowing the IOMMU to walk freed memory, which is a memory-safety/use-after-free-like class. The input does not supply a CWE, but the root cause is improper selective context-cache invalidation during alias teardown. The vulnerable configuration is limited to Intel IOMMU scalable-mode deployments with aliasing PCI devices on Linux 6.11 through the fixed stable releases; no remote or unauthenticated path exists, and the assessed impact is local, high-privilege, scope-unchanged, unlike the vendor's S:C vector.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local teardown path requiring device-management privileges (PR:H); primary impact is IOMMU-walk-of-freed-memory corruption/crash (A:H) with only marginal, speculative C/I from stale DMA translations.
AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H
Primary rating from Vendor (Linux).
CVSS VectorVendor: Linux
Lifecycle Timeline
4DescriptionCVE.org
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
iommu/vt-d: Flush context cache with correct SID when tearing down aliases
domain_context_clear_one() and device_pasid_table_teardown() are both invoked once per DMA alias of a device. Each function locates the context entry using the bus/devfn pair provided by the pci_for_each_dma_alias() callback, then calls intel_context_flush_no_pasid(), which constructs a device-selective context-cache invalidation from info->bus and info->devfn (that is, always the requester ID of the device itself).
As a result, for every alias other than the device’s own RID, the context entry that was just cleared in memory is never invalidated in the context cache. Hardware may continue using that stale cached entry. In the scalable-mode teardown path, intel_pasid_free_table() can then free the PASID directory still referenced by that stale entry, allowing the IOMMU to walk freed memory.
Fix this by passing the source ID of the entry being torn down to intel_context_flush_no_pasid(), instead of deriving it from @info.
Executive ViewAI
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Intel VT-d IOMMU teardown path affects kernel 6.11 and later branches, allowing an authenticated local actor with high privilege (CAP_SYS_ADMIN-equivalent) to trigger kernel memory corruption and availability loss on affected hosts. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis, and exploitation is confined to privileged local users on Intel VT-d-enabled systems, so practical exposure sits mainly in virtualization, hypervisor, and container-host fleets rather than user endpoints. Leadership should treat this as a patch-cadence and privileged-access-hygiene issue with limited near-term business disruption.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
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.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Vendor StatusVendor
SUSE
Severity: Moderate| Product | Status |
|---|---|
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP7 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 12 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP6 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP6 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 LTSS EXTREME CORE | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 LTSS EXTREME CORE | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE CaaS Platform 4.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 6 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 7 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 7.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP6 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-ESPOS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-ESPOS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-ESPOS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-BCL | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-BCL | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-BCL | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-LTSS | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy LTS 4.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server LTS 4.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.0 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.1 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.2 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server LTS 4.3 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP4 | Not-Affected |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP5 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.3 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.4 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.4 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | Not-Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.6 | Not-Affected |
EUVD-2026-81833
GHSA-rghx-9889-ffmw
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Exploit-DB