# CVE-2026-98180: drm/msm: RCU-free the scheduler-containing ring and VM objects

> A use-after-free in the Linux kernel DRM MSM driver allows unprivileged users to trigger a slab-use-after-free read via sync file operations.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H`)
- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 6 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-106116, BELL-CVE-2026-98180, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98180, GHSA-h748-767h-vm7p, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98180

## What is CVE-2026-98180?

CVE-2026-98180 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 6 Oct 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/msm: RCU-free the scheduler-containing ring and VM objects

Both struct msm_ringbuffer and struct msm_gem_vm embed a struct
drm_gpu_scheduler.  msm_ringbuffer_destroy() and the VM free callback
msm_gem_vm_free() call drm_sched_fini() on the embedded scheduler and then
free the containing object with plain kfree().

drm_sched_fence_get_timeline_name() returns fence->sched->name, and the
scheduler fence keeps a .release callback so it is not ops-detached on
signalling.  A finished fence exported to userspace (the submit out-fence, or
a VM_BIND fence, via sync_file / drm_syncobj) keeps pointing at the embedded
scheduler after the ring/VM is freed, so a later get_timeline_name() --
reachable unprivileged through SYNC_IOC_FILE_INFO -- dereferences freed slab
memory (KASAN slab-use-after-free read).

Per the dma-fence lifetime contract the exporter must keep the data backing a
signalled fence alive for an RCU grace period.  Free the scheduler-containing
objects with kfree_rcu() instead of kfree().

Patchwork: https://patchwork.freedesktop.org/patch/750234/

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98180?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-98180?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98180 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98180 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- CVE-2026-98180 — drm/msm use-after-free of the scheduler-containing ring and VM objects (fixed by 01c8d1f385f7) (github_poc): https://github.com/MalHyuk/CVE-2026-98180

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-98180 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98180 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 6 Oct 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-2026-98180 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: 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-2026-98180/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98180/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98180
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98180
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98180

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98180/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.