# CVE-2026-98716: KVM: SVM: Use the active VMCB's MSR bitmap when checking if MSR is intercepted

> A flaw in Linux KVM SVM allows bypassing MSR interception checks, potentially enabling guest-to-host security bypasses.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **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:** 18 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-109439, BELL-CVE-2026-98716, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98716, GHSA-hpgm-5w85-35mm, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98716

## What is CVE-2026-98716?

CVE-2026-98716 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: SVM: Use the active VMCB's MSR bitmap when checking if MSR is intercepted

Use the MSR permission bitmap of the active VMCB instead of assuming that
KVM is always using vmcb02's bitmap when L2 is active, as KVM uses msrpm02
if and only if L1 wants to intercept MSR accesses, i.e. if and only if KVM
needs to merge msprm01 with msrpm12.

Don't bother tracking the virtual address of the bitmap that's being used,
as __va() is cheap on x86, and caching the virtual address would introduce
yet another source of potentially stale information.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98716?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-98716?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98716 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98716 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-98716 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98716 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98716 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-2026-98716/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98716/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98716
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98716
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98716

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98716/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.