CVE-2026-98878: Linux Vulnerability

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: irqchip/gic-v5: Immediately exec priority drop following activate With GICv5 an interrupt of equal or lower priority cannot be signalled until there has been a priority drop. This is done via the GIC CDEOI system instruction. Once this has been executed, the hardware is able to signal the next interrupt if there is one. As all interrupts are programmed to have the same priority, no new interrupts can be signalled until the priority drop has happened. This can cause issues when, for example, an interrupt remains active while a long running process takes place, such as when injecting a physical interrupt into a guest VM in software. The GICv5 driver has so far done the priority drop as part of irq_eoi(), i.e., at the same time as deactivating the interrupt. This means that any long running process (or VM) could block incoming interrupts, effectively causing a denial of service for all other interrupts. Rather than doing the EOI as part of irq_eoi() (which the name would suggest would be a good place for it), move it to happen immediately after acknowledging an interrupt in the main GICv5 interrupt handler. The deactivation of interrupts (GIC CDDI) remains implemented as part of irq_eoi(), which means that the same interrupt cannot be signalled a second time until deactivated by software.

Metrics

EPSS Probability

0.19%

8.8th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Affected Software

Source: CNA advisory (CVE.org). NVD analysis pending.

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux	>= 7ec80fb3f025825e860b433685fb801d6de34bf3, < c29bb5acd0cad0b49399d1399dd1bacb39e41438; >= 7ec80fb3f025825e860b433685fb801d6de34bf3, < abf60331ebe9a9a7937a72aac7699c2907ab9307
Linux	Linux	6.17

References

Timeline

Published: Oct 23, 2026
Last Modified: Oct 26, 2026
Status: Received

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-98878?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: irqchip/gic-v5: Immediately exec priority drop following activate With GICv5 an interrupt of equal or lower priority cannot be signalled until there has been a priority drop. This is done via the GIC CDEOI system instruction. Once this has been executed, the hardware is able to signal the next interrupt if there is one. As all interrupts are programmed to have the same priority, no new interrupts can be signalled until the priority drop has happened. This can cause issues when, for example, an interrupt remains active while a long running process takes place, such as when injecting a physical interrupt into a guest VM in software. The GICv5 driver has so far done the priority drop as part of irq_eoi(), i.e., at the same time as deactivating the interrupt. This means that any long running process (or VM) could block incoming interrupts, effectively causing a denial of service for all other interrupts. Rather than doing the EOI as part of irq_eoi() (which the name would suggest would be a good place for it), move it to happen immediately after acknowledging an interrupt in the main GICv5 interrupt handler. The deactivation of interrupts (GIC CDDI) remains implemented as part of irq_eoi(), which means that the same interrupt cannot be signalled a second time until deactivated by software.

How severe is CVE-2026-98878?

Severity scoring for CVE-2026-98878 is pending analysis. The EPSS model estimates a 0.19% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2026-98878?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

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