Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-43214

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-06

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.1.165 / 6.6.128 or later.

See remediation →

80/100

Remediation priority · High

Zero-click Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: x86: Add SRCU protection for reading PDPTRs in __get_sregs2() Add SRCU read-side protection when reading PDPTR registers in __get_sregs2(). Reading PDPTRs may trigger access to guest memory: kvm_pdptr_read() -> svm_cache_reg() -> load_pdptrs() -> kvm_vcpu_read_guest_page() -> kvm_vcpu_gfn_to_memslot() kvm_vcpu_gfn_to_memslot() dereferences memslots via __kvm_memslots(), which uses srcu_dereference_check() and requires either kvm->srcu or kvm->slots_lock to be held. Currently only vcpu->mutex is held, triggering lockdep warning: ============================= WARNING: suspicious RCU usage in kvm_vcpu_gfn_to_memslot 6.12.59+ #3 Not tainted include/linux/kvm_host.h:1062 suspicious rcu_dereference_check() usage! other info that might help us debug this: rcu_scheduler_active = 2, debug_locks = 1 1 lock held by syz.5.1717/15100: #0: ff1100002f4b00b0 (&vcpu->mutex){+.+.}-{3:3}, at: kvm_vcpu_ioctl+0x1d5/0x1590 Call Trace: <TASK> __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:94 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0xf0/0x120 lib/dump_stack.c:120 lockdep_rcu_suspicious+0x1e3/0x270 kernel/locking/lockdep.c:6824 __kvm_memslots include/linux/kvm_host.h:1062 [inline] __kvm_memslots include/linux/kvm_host.h:1059 [inline] kvm_vcpu_memslots include/linux/kvm_host.h:1076 [inline] kvm_vcpu_gfn_to_memslot+0x518/0x5e0 virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:2617 kvm_vcpu_read_guest_page+0x27/0x50 virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:3302 load_pdptrs+0xff/0x4b0 arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:1065 svm_cache_reg+0x1c9/0x230 arch/x86/kvm/svm/svm.c:1688 kvm_pdptr_read arch/x86/kvm/kvm_cache_regs.h:141 [inline] __get_sregs2 arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:11784 [inline] kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl+0x3e20/0x4aa0 arch/x86/kvm/x86.c:6279 kvm_vcpu_ioctl+0x856/0x1590 virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:4663 vfs_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:51 [inline] __do_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:907 [inline] __se_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:893 [inline] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x18b/0x210 fs/ioctl.c:893 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 [inline] do_syscall_64+0xbd/0x1d0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with Syzkaller.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Linux KernelOperating system

Affected:>= 5.14, < 6.1.165>= 6.2, < 6.6.128>= 6.7, < 6.12.75>= 6.13, < 6.18.16>= 6.19, < 6.19.6

CVSS breakdown

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.1.165 / 6.6.128 / 6.12.75 or later

Fixed in 6.1.1656.6.1286.12.75

Vendor patch git.kernel.org →

Recommended fix High confidence

6.1.165 (for 6.1 branch), 6.6.128 (for 6.2-6.6 branch), 6.12.75 (for 6.7-6.12 branch), or 6.18.16 (for 6.13+ branch) depending on which branch you are on

1. Identify the currently running kernel version using 'uname -r'
2. Determine which branch of the affected version range your kernel falls into
3. For kernel >= 5.14 and < 6.1.165: upgrade to kernel 6.1.165 or later
4. For kernel >= 6.2 and < 6.6.128: upgrade to kernel 6.6.128 or later
5. For kernel >= 6.7 and < 6.12.75: upgrade to kernel 6.12.75 or later
6. For kernel >= 6.13 and < 6.18.16: upgrade to kernel 6.18.16 or later
7. Reboot the system to apply the new kernel
8. Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version and confirming the commit is included (or run the KVM workload that triggered the original lockdep warning to confirm no RCU warning appears)

Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebooting the system and could have compatibility implications with custom kernel modules or specific hardware drivers; test in a staging environment before production deployment

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

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $1,950. Get the upgrade done

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-43214 — 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

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-43214 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2026-43214?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 6.1.165 / 6.6.128 or later

Severity 7.8 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.1%

Affects: Linux Kernel

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Get a fix

Estimated effortfrom ~11 hrs

ComplexityModerate

Typical engagementfrom $1,950

What a fix involves

We scope it with you and confirm a fixed quote
A specialist builds a reviewed fix
You deploy it to staging first
Optional re-test once it’s live

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2026-43214 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Scan for this in your stack

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

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Remediation

References