As a catastrophic security flaw, CVE-2026-80726 has severe implications, demanding immediate intervention.
Status: Received on 03 Sep 2026, 13:06 UTC
Last updated: 🕔 04 Sep 2026, 05:17 UTC
Originally published on: 🕐 03 Sep 2026, 13:06 UTC
CVSS Release: version 3
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Secondary
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVE-2026-80726: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: x86/mmu: WARN and clear role.invalid when creating a child shadow page Explicitly clear role.invalid when deriving a child shadow page's role from its parent to harden against bugs elsewhere in KVM, as violating KVM's invariant that invalid pages are NOT on the list of active MMU pages leads to use-after-free due to __kvm_mmu_prepare_zap_page() using list_add() instead of list_move() when processing an invalid shadow page, i.e. makes a bad situation far worse. Yell loudly if the parent is invalid, as it means KVM has missed a validity check, i.e. KVM is attempting to map memory using an invalid/obsolete root, but continue on as the child is otherwise still a valid shadow page. ================================================================== BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __kvm_mmu_get_shadow_page+0x1817/0x1860 [kvm] Write of size 8 at addr ff11000153dd1368 by task repro/853 CPU: 1 UID: 1000 PID: 853 Comm: repro Not tainted 7.2.0-rc2-3aec122bdcaf-next-vm #5 PREEMPT Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 0.0.0 02/06/2015 Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x4b/0x70 print_report+0x153/0x49c kasan_report+0xbc/0xf0 __kvm_mmu_get_shadow_page+0x1817/0x1860 [kvm] mmu_alloc_root+0x141/0x320 [kvm] kvm_mmu_load+0x612/0x20f0 [kvm] kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_run+0x3dd5/0x6150 [kvm] kvm_vcpu_ioctl+0x5e4/0x10d0 [kvm] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x131/0x1b0 do_syscall_64+0x67/0x5f0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53 </TASK> Allocated by task 853: kasan_save_stack+0x20/0x40 kasan_save_track+0x14/0x30 __kasan_slab_alloc+0x5f/0x70 kmem_cache_alloc_noprof+0xfe/0x2e0 __kvm_mmu_topup_memory_cache+0x135/0x530 [kvm] paging64_page_fault+0x318/0x1e30 [kvm] kvm_mmu_do_page_fault+0x21d/0x630 [kvm] kvm_mmu_page_fault+0x18c/0x17b0 [kvm] kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_run+0x1f35/0x6150 [kvm] kvm_vcpu_ioctl+0x5e4/0x10d0 [kvm] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x131/0x1b0 do_syscall_64+0x67/0x5f0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53 Freed by task 853: kasan_save_stack+0x20/0x40 kasan_save_track+0x14/0x30 kasan_save_free_info+0x3b/0x60 __kasan_slab_free+0x43/0x70 kmem_cache_free+0xe2/0x400 kvm_mmu_commit_zap_page.part.0+0x1e2/0x310 [kvm] kvm_mmu_free_roots+0x283/0x560 [kvm] kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_run+0x33c8/0x6150 [kvm] kvm_vcpu_ioctl+0x5e4/0x10d0 [kvm] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x131/0x1b0 do_syscall_64+0x67/0x5f0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53
The exploitability of CVE-2026-80726 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).
With low attack complexity and no required privileges, CVE-2026-80726 is an easy target for cybercriminals. Organizations should prioritize immediate mitigation measures to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.
A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.
Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.
Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.
Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2026-80726, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.
Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2026-80726, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
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