CVE-2026-74675 vt: stabilize tty reference in kbd_keycode with tty_port_tty_get
A race condition in the Linux kernel's virtual terminal handling can lead to a use-after-free or null pointer dereference, causing a system crash.
- 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-2026-74675?
CVE-2026-74675 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, published on 22 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:
vt: stabilize tty reference in kbd_keycode with tty_port_tty_get
kbd_keycode() reads vc->port.tty without acquiring a tty reference, racing against con_shutdown() which clears port.tty under a different lock. Use tty_port_tty_get()/tty_kref_put() to hold a proper reference for the duration the tty pointer is needed.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-74675?
How do I fix CVE-2026-74675?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2026-74675 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-74675 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-97235, BELL-CVE-2026-74675, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-74675, GHSA-pv3w-35gf-cp37, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-74675.