dbcve.org
Enterprise LinuxOperating system · Redhat

CVE-2025-26598

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 21.1.16 / 24.1.6 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
An out-of-bounds write flaw was found in X.Org and Xwayland. The function GetBarrierDevice() searches for the pointer device based on its device ID and returns the matching value, or supposedly NULL, if no match was found. However, the code will return the last element of the list if no matching device ID is found, which can lead to out-of-bounds memory access.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A logic error in GetBarrierDevice() in X.Org and Xwayland causes the function to return the last element of the device list instead of NULL when no matching device ID is found, leading to out-of-bounds memory access and potential code execution.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch or update X.Org/Xwayland to the version containing the corrected GetBarrierDevice() function that properly returns NULL on device lookup failure.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Enterprise LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 7.0= 8.0= 9.0
TigervncApplication
Affected:all versions
X ServerApplication
Affected:< 21.1.16
XwaylandApplication
Affected:< 24.1.6

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed X display server components
    Run 'rpm -qa | grep -E "(xorg-x11-server|Xwayland|tigervnc)"' or check for Xorg/Xwayland processes
    Affected if Any of X Server, Xwayland, or TigerVNC packages are installed
  2. Check X Server version
    Run 'Xorg -version' or 'rpm -qa xorg-x11-server-xorg' and compare the release number to 21.1.16
    Affected if X Server version is present and below 21.1.16
  3. Check Xwayland version
    Run 'Xwayland --version' or check the xwayland package version, compare to 24.1.6
    Affected if Xwayland version is present and below 24.1.6
  4. Check for TigerVNC installation
    Run 'rpm -qa tigervnc' to confirm TigerVNC is installed
    Affected if TigerVNC is installed (all versions are affected)
  5. Verify input device/barrier functionality is in use
    Check X server logs or active processes for barrier or input device handling features
    Affected if The vulnerable GetBarrierDevice() function is called during X server operation with input devices

Environment is affected if X Server < 21.1.16, Xwayland < 24.1.6, or any version of TigerVNC is installed and the X server is running with input device/barrier functionality active

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 21.1.16 / 24.1.6 or later
Fixed in 21.1.1624.1.6
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patch or update X.Org/Xwayland to the version containing the corrected GetBarrierDevice() function that properly returns NULL on device lookup failure.

Recommended fix High confidence

X Server 21.1.16 or later; Xwayland 24.1.6 or later; or Red Hat Enterprise Linux latest security advisories

  1. 1. Identify which X component is in use (X Server or Xwayland) by checking the running graphics server: for X Server run 'X -version'; for Xwayland run 'Xwayland --version'
  2. 2. For systems using X Server: upgrade xorg-x11-server to version 21.1.16 or later
  3. 3. For systems using Xwayland: upgrade xwayland to version 24.1.6 or later
  4. 4. For Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems: apply the latest security updates via 'yum update' or 'dnf update' to receive the patched packages
  5. 5. After upgrading, restart the X server or display manager to load the fixed version
  6. 6. Verify the fix by checking the updated version matches or exceeds the fixed release
Caveat Major version upgrades to X Server 21.x or Xwayland 24.x may introduce compatibility changes with older X clients or display managers; test in non-production environment first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Enterprise Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,096.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-26598 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-26598 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data