CVE-2026-46171 riscv: kvm: fix vector context allocation leak
A memory leak in the Linux kernel's RISC-V KVM vector context allocation can lead to resource exhaustion and denial of service.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-46171?
CVE-2026-46171 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 28 May 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
riscv: kvm: fix vector context allocation leak
When the second kzalloc (host_context.vector.datap) fails in kvm_riscv_vcpu_alloc_vector_context, the first allocation (guest_context.vector.datap) is leaked. Free it before returning.
Weakness: CWE-401
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-46171?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2026-46171?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.
Is CVE-2026-46171 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-46171 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as AZL-88833, BELL-CVE-2026-46171, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-46171, GHSA-wxj9-x4vw-8w2j, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2026-46171, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-46171 and 1 more.