# CVE-2026-5165: Virtio-win: virtio-win: memory corruption via use-after-free in virtio blk device reset

> A local attacker can trigger a use-after-free in the VirtIO Block device reset, causing system memory corruption and instability.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 30 Mar 2026
- **Updated:** 28 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-6fw6-rqjg-9v3j

## What is CVE-2026-5165?

CVE-2026-5165 is a medium-severity use after free vulnerability in Redhat Enterprise Linux, published on 30 Mar 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A flaw was found in virtio-win, specifically within the VirtIO Block (BLK) device. When the device undergoes a reset, it fails to properly manage memory, resulting in a use-after-free vulnerability. This issue could allow a local attacker to corrupt system memory, potentially leading to system instability or unexpected behavior.

Weakness: CWE-825 (Expired Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-5165?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Redhat Enterprise Linux, Redhat Virtio-Win.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-5165?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-5165 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-5165 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-5165 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Redhat Enterprise Linux

- [CVE-2018-14667](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-14667/): Red Hat JBoss RichFaces Framework Expression Language Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2021-20325](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-20325/): Missing fixes for CVE-2021-40438 and CVE-2021-26691 in the versions of httpd, as shipped in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.5.0, causes a securit (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2018-25011](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-25011/): Memory corruption in libwebp (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2018-25014](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-25014/): Other in libwebp (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2014-3585](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-3585/): Supply chain in redhat-upgrade-tool (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-5165 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-5165 is a medium-severity use after free vulnerability in Redhat Enterprise Linux, published on 30 Mar 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-5165 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Redhat Enterprise Linux. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-5165/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-5165/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-5165
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-5165
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-5165

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-5165/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.