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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-52976

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.12.91 / 6.18.33 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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: drm/xe: Fix error cleanup in xe_exec_queue_create_ioctl() Two error handling issues exist in xe_exec_queue_create_ioctl(): 1. When xe_hw_engine_group_add_exec_queue() fails, the error path jumps to put_exec_queue which skips xe_exec_queue_kill(). If the VM is in preempt fence mode, xe_vm_add_compute_exec_queue() has already added the queue to the VM's compute exec queue list. Skipping the kill leaves the queue on that list, leading to a dangling pointer after the queue is freed. 2. When xa_alloc() fails after xe_hw_engine_group_add_exec_queue() has succeeded, the error path does not call xe_hw_engine_group_del_exec_queue() to remove the queue from the hw engine group list. The queue is then freed while still linked into the hw engine group, causing a use-after-free. Fix both by: - Changing the xe_hw_engine_group_add_exec_queue() failure path to jump to kill_exec_queue so that xe_exec_queue_kill() properly removes the queue from the VM's compute list. - Adding a del_hw_engine_group label before kill_exec_queue for the xa_alloc() failure path, which removes the queue from the hw engine group before proceeding with the rest of the cleanup. (cherry picked from commit 37c831f401746a45d510b312b0ed7a77b1e06ec8)

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 xe_exec_queue_create_ioctl(), two error handling bugs exist: 1) when xe_hw_engine_group_add_exec_queue() fails, skipping xe_exec_queue_kill() leaves a dangling pointer in the VM's compute exec queue list; 2) when xa_alloc() fails after adding to the hw engine group, failing to call xe_hw_engine_group_del_exec_queue() causes use-after-free as the queue remains linked while being freed.

MitigationApply the kernel patch (commit 37c831f401746a45d510b312b0ed7a77b1e06ec8) which adds proper cleanup labels and redirects error paths to correctly remove queues from both VM and hw engine group lists before freeing.

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:>= 6.12, < 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
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. Check kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' to get the running kernel version
    Affected if The version falls within >= 6.12 and < 6.12.91, OR >= 6.13 and < 6.18.33, OR >= 6.19 and < 7.0.10, OR equals 7.1
  2. Verify Xe graphics driver is present
    Check for /sys/bus/pci/drivers/xe or run 'lsmod | grep xe' to see if the xe module is loaded, or check /dev/dri/ for xe device nodes
    Affected if The xe driver module is loaded or the xe device exists in /dev/dri/
  3. Check for active Xe device
    Run 'ls -la /dev/dri/' and look for card* devices, or run 'lspci | grep -i xe' to list Xe graphics hardware
    Affected if The system has Xe graphics hardware present and the driver is managing it
  4. Identify workload using Xe driver
    Check for processes using Xe ioctls by monitoring /sys/kernel/debug/dri/ or reviewing application GPU usage for Xe-specific workloads
    Affected if Any application is actively using the Xe graphics driver operations including exec queue creation

You are affected if running a kernel version in the specified ranges AND the Xe graphics driver is loaded and actively managing Xe hardware.

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 6.12.91 / 6.18.33 / 7.0.10 or later
Fixed in 6.12.916.18.337.0.10
Interim mitigation

Apply the kernel patch (commit 37c831f401746a45d510b312b0ed7a77b1e06ec8) which adds proper cleanup labels and redirects error paths to correctly remove queues from both VM and hw engine group lists before freeing.

Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 6.12.91, 6.18.33, or 7.0.10 (depending on branch)

  1. Identify current kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. For systems running kernel 6.12.x: upgrade to kernel 6.12.91 or later
  3. For systems running kernel 6.13.x through 6.18.x: upgrade to kernel 6.18.33 or later
  4. For systems running kernel 6.19.x through 7.0.x: upgrade to kernel 7.0.10 or later
  5. For systems running kernel 7.1.x: upgrade to the latest stable kernel version available
  6. Reboot the system after applying the kernel upgrade
Caveat This is a driver-specific fix for Intel Xe GPUs; systems without Xe graphics hardware are not affected. Standard kernel upgrade risks apply (verify compatibility with custom modules or drivers).

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
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,680
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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-2026-52976 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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