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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-52968

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.1.175 / 6.6.141 or later.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click 8 weeks old

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
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: s390: pci: fix GAIT table indexing due to double-scaling pointer arithmetic kvm_s390_pci_aif_enable(), kvm_s390_pci_aif_disable(), and aen_host_forward() index the GAIT by manually multiplying the index with sizeof(struct zpci_gaite). Since aift->gait is already a struct zpci_gaite pointer, this double-scales the offset, accessing element aisb*16 instead of aisb. This causes out-of-bounds accesses when aisb >= 32 (with ZPCI_NR_DEVICES=512) Fix by removing the erroneous sizeof multiplication.

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

In the Linux kernel KVM s390 PCI code, three functions (kvm_s390_pci_aif_enable, kvm_s390_pci_aif_disable, and aen_host_forward) incorrectly multiply the GAIT table index by sizeof(struct zpci_gaite) when the pointer is already a struct zpci_gaite type, causing double-scaling that accesses aisb*16 instead of aisb. This results in out-of-bounds memory access when aisb >= 32 with ZPCI_NR_DEVICES=512.

MitigationRemove the erroneous sizeof multiplication in the three affected functions to fix the pointer arithmetic, preventing the out-of-bounds access that could allow privilege escalation or denial of service.

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
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 6.0, < 6.1.175>= 6.2, < 6.6.141>= 6.7, < 6.12.91>= 6.13, < 6.18.33>= 6.19, < 7.0.10= 7.1

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
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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. Verify the system architecture is s390 or s390x
    Run 'uname -m' or check /proc/cpuinfo for processor type. The vulnerability only affects the s390 architecture.
    Affected if The architecture is s390 or s390x (other architectures are not affected)
  2. Confirm the kernel version falls within affected ranges
    Run 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' and compare against: >= 6.0, < 6.1.175; >= 6.2, < 6.6.141; >= 6.7, < 6.12.91; >= 6.13, < 6.18.33; >= 6.19, < 7.0.10; = 7.1
    Affected if The installed kernel version matches one of the affected version ranges
  3. Check if KVM for s390 is loaded and in use
    Check for loaded KVM modules: 'lsmod | grep kvm' and verify kvm-intel/kvm-amd are not loaded (those are x86). On s390, check for kvm module: 'lsmod | grep -E "kvm"'
    Affected if KVM for s390 is loaded and running (the vulnerable code path requires KVM to be active)
  4. Verify zpci (s390 PCI) support is enabled
    Check kernel config for CONFIG_ZPCI: 'grep CONFIG_ZPCI /boot/config-$(uname -r)' or check if /sys/bus/pci exists on the system
    Affected if zpci support is enabled (the vulnerability involves zpci_gaite structures)
  5. Confirm the vulnerable code functions exist in the kernel
    Check if the affected functions exist in the kernel image or source: 'grep -r "kvm_s390_pci_aif_enable\|kvm_s390_pci_aif_disable\|aen_host_forward" /sys/kernel/debug/ 或 search kernel symbols'
    Affected if The functions kvm_s390_pci_aif_enable, kvm_s390_pci_aif_disable, or aen_host_forward are present in the running kernel

The system is affected if it runs on s390/s390x architecture with a kernel version in the affected ranges AND has KVM for s390 loaded with zpci support enabled.

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 6.1.175 / 6.6.141 / 6.12.91 or later
Fixed in 6.1.1756.6.1416.12.91
Interim mitigation

Remove the erroneous sizeof multiplication in the three affected functions to fix the pointer arithmetic, preventing the out-of-bounds access that could allow privilege escalation or denial of service.

Recommended fix High confidence

6.1.175+, 6.6.141+, 6.12.91+, or 6.18.33+ (depending on your current branch)

  1. 1. Check current kernel version: `uname -r` or `cat /proc/version`
  2. 2. Identify which version branch you are on (6.0.x, 6.1.x, 6.2.x, 6.7.x, or 6.13.x)
  3. 3. For kernel 6.1.x: upgrade to version 6.1.175 or later
  4. 4. For kernel 6.2-6.6.x: upgrade to version 6.6.141 or later
  5. 5. For kernel 6.7-6.11.x: upgrade to version 6.12.91 or later
  6. 6. For kernel 6.13-6.17.x: upgrade to version 6.18.33 or later
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the fix by checking kernel version matches target: `uname -r`
  8. 8. Reboot the system to load the new kernel
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require matching kernel headers for module compilation; ensure dependent kernel modules are compatible with the new version

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

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,200
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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-2026-52968 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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