CVE-2026-74442 drm/vmwgfx: avoid destroy_workqueue(NULL) on vkms init failure

Not scored Published 15 Aug 2026 Updated 17 Aug 2026

A null pointer dereference in the vmwgfx driver causes a kernel panic during module unload if initialization fails, leading to denial of service.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: Available

What is CVE-2026-74442?

CVE-2026-74442 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Aug 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:

drm/vmwgfx: avoid destroy_workqueue(NULL) on vkms init failure

Two paths through vmw_vkms_init() can leave vmw->crc_workq NULL while still leaving the rest of the driver in a state that calls vmw_vkms_cleanup() at module unload:

1. vmw_host_get_guestinfo(GUESTINFO_VBLANK, ...) failing or returning an oversized buffer -- the common case on hosts without a VBLANK guestinfo entry -- early-returned before the workqueue allocation. 2. alloc_ordered_workqueue() returning NULL on memory pressure.

vmw_vkms_cleanup() then calls destroy_workqueue(NULL), which dereferences wq->name and panics.

Fix the first case by removing the early return: vmw->vkms_enabled is already false on the rpci-failure path so no work will ever be queued, and allocating the workqueue unconditionally keeps the control flow simple. Fix the second case by guarding the cleanup with a NULL check, since alloc_ordered_workqueue() can still fail under low memory.

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-74442?

How do I fix CVE-2026-74442?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Is CVE-2026-74442 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-74442 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-74442, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-74442, GHSA-23jg-69fj-37jm, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-74442.