CVE-2026-68178

{
  "id": "CVE-2026-68178",
  "sourceIdentifier": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
  "published": "2026-08-10T13:20:04.720",
  "lastModified": "2026-10-19T21:17:56.963",
  "vulnStatus": "Received",
  "cveTags": [],
  "descriptions": [
    {
      "lang": "en",
      "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nmisc: nsm: pin the module while the device is open\n\nmisc_open() installs a misc driver's file operations with fops_get(),\nwhich pins file_operations::owner before replacing the file's f_op.  The\nNSM misc device leaves nsm_dev_fops.owner unset, so opening /dev/nsm does\nnot take a module reference on the nsm driver.\n\nIf the driver is built as a module, an open file descriptor can therefore\nsurvive rmmod of the module that provides its ioctl callbacks.  A later\nioctl through that descriptor can call into unloaded module text.\n\nSet nsm_dev_fops.owner to THIS_MODULE so the misc core holds the module\nwhile any /dev/nsm file descriptor is open, matching the lifetime\nexpectation for the installed file operations."
    }
  ],
  "affected": [
    {
      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
      "affectedData": [
        {
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "product": "Linux",
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
          "programFiles": [
            "drivers/misc/nsm.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "versions": [
            {
              "version": "b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749",
              "lessThan": "1996639f824ce9468395cdb7bcb8f467fa787e77",
              "versionType": "git",
              "status": "affected"
            },
            {
              "version": "b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749",
              "lessThan": "1da310b94504d42001e9c32c43c5dc105b777e5f",
              "versionType": "git",
              "status": "affected"
            },
            {
              "version": "b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749",
              "lessThan": "9e9a82d00c3d10129fc310a7547b24a679d5d920",
              "versionType": "git",
              "status": "affected"
            },
            {
              "version": "b9873755a6c8ccfce79094c4dce9efa3ecb1a749",
              "lessThan": "3b231f1e9990f4c21220d0a69733ce2105891ff9",
              "versionType": "git",
              "status": "affected"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "vendor": "Linux",
          "product": "Linux",
          "defaultStatus": "affected",
          "programFiles": [
            "drivers/misc/nsm.c"
          ],
          "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
          "versions": [
            {
              "version": "6.8",
              "status": "affected"
            },
            {
              "version": "0",
              "lessThan": "6.8",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "status": "unaffected"
            },
            {
              "version": "6.12.101",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.12.*",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "status": "unaffected"
            },
            {
              "version": "6.18.42",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "6.18.*",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "status": "unaffected"
            },
            {
              "version": "7.1.6",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "7.1.*",
              "versionType": "semver",
              "status": "unaffected"
            },
            {
              "version": "7.2",
              "lessThanOrEqual": "*",
              "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix",
              "status": "unaffected"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "metrics": {
    "cvssMetricV31": [
      {
        "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "type": "Secondary",
        "cvssData": {
          "version": "3.1",
          "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
          "baseScore": 7.8,
          "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
          "attackVector": "LOCAL",
          "attackComplexity": "LOW",
          "privilegesRequired": "LOW",
          "userInteraction": "NONE",
          "scope": "UNCHANGED",
          "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH",
          "integrityImpact": "HIGH",
          "availabilityImpact": "HIGH"
        },
        "exploitabilityScore": 1.8,
        "impactScore": 5.9
      }
    ],
    "ssvcV203": [
      {
        "source": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0",
        "ssvcData": {
          "timestamp": "2026-10-16T15:45:28.962889Z",
          "id": "CVE-2026-68178",
          "options": [
            {
              "exploitation": "none"
            },
            {
              "automatable": "no"
            },
            {
              "technicalImpact": "total"
            }
          ],
          "role": "CISA Coordinator",
          "version": "2.0.3"
        }
      }
    ]
  },
  "weaknesses": [
    {
      "source": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0",
      "type": "Secondary",
      "description": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "value": "CWE-416"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "references": [
    {
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1996639f824ce9468395cdb7bcb8f467fa787e77",
      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1da310b94504d42001e9c32c43c5dc105b777e5f",
      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3b231f1e9990f4c21220d0a69733ce2105891ff9",
      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9e9a82d00c3d10129fc310a7547b24a679d5d920",
      "source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
    }
  ]
}