CVE-2026-98651 KVM: s390: Properly handle NULL pointer in dat_cond_set_storage_key()

Not scored Published 18 Oct 2026 Updated 19 Oct 2026

A NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel's KVM s390 module allows local attackers to cause 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-2026-98651?

CVE-2026-98651 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 18 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:

KVM: s390: Properly handle NULL pointer in dat_cond_set_storage_key()

Some callers pass NULL as oldkey. Calling page_cond_set_storage_key() will cause that NULL pointer to get dereferenced.

Fix by checking for NULL and assigning the pointer to a dummy local variable to avoid crashes.

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98651?

How do I fix CVE-2026-98651?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Is CVE-2026-98651 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98651 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98651, GHSA-7vxp-j7m5-7gf4, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98651.