CVE-2026-68178misc: nsm: pin the module while the device is open
Updated under an hour ago ()
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No exploitation reported and no EPSS estimate yet.
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In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: misc: nsm: pin the module while the device is open misc_open() installs a misc driver's file operations with fops_get(), which pins file_operations::owner before replacing the file's f_op. The NSM misc device leaves nsm_dev_fops.owner unset, so opening /dev/nsm does not take a module reference on the nsm driver. If the driver is built as a module, an open file descriptor can therefore survive rmmod of the module that provides its ioctl callbacks. A later ioctl through that descriptor can call into unloaded module text. Set nsm_dev_fops.owner to THIS_MODULE so the misc core holds the module while any /dev/nsm file descriptor is open, matching the lifetime expectation for the installed file operations.
- CVSS
- 7.8 HIGH (v3.1, CNA)CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Weakness (CWE)
- Not given
- Known exploited
- Not in CISA's KEV catalog
- EPSS (exploitation in the next 30 days)
- Not loaded for this CVE
- Assigned by
- Linux
- NVD analysis
- Received
- Record last updated
- Oct 16, 2026
- First seen by InfoSec Signals
- Oct 9, 2026
Affected products
Linux Linux linux:linux (from the name) | from b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749 before 1996639f824ce9468395cdb7bcb8f467fa787e77; from b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749 before 1da310b94504d42001e9c32c43c5dc105b777e5f; from b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749 before 9e9a82d00c3d10129fc310a7547b24a679d5d920; from b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749 before 3b231f1e9990f4c21220d0a69733ce2105891ff9 | CNA record |
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1996639f824ce9468395cdb7bcb8f467fa787e77
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1da310b94504d42001e9c32c43c5dc105b777e5f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9e9a82d00c3d10129fc310a7547b24a679d5d920
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3b231f1e9990f4c21220d0a69733ce2105891ff9
The CVE record on cve.org NVD's entry
The CVE record is authoritative. Products marked “from the name” were identified from the CNA's free-text names, not a CPE, and are matched less certainly. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.